A Beautiful Lie
by Ica013
Summary: Oliver is struggling to keep control of Queen Industries and Chloe is at a crossroads in her life. Both find a much-needed ally in each other and their friendship grows. Lionel Luthor interrupts their progression with an agenda of his is own, leaving them to decide if they are going to live a lie. A Chlollie Love Story. Book Cover by Alxnhnt 22.
1. Times are Changin

Disclaimer: Smallville & DC Characters are not mine. They belong to CW, WB, DC etc. No copyright infringement intended. Just having some fun in their backyard and not getting any kind of remuneration whatsoever.

Summary: Oliver is struggling to keep control of Queen Industries and Chloe is at a crossroads in her life. Both find a much-needed ally in each other and their friendship grows. Lionel Luthor interrupts their progression with an agenda of his is own, leaving them to decide if they are going to live a lie.

Spoilers: Cannon until the end of Season 6, then I pick and chose what to include.

Rating: T (Mild Language and sexual situations implied)

**AN**: This story pays homage to a plot thread in the unfinished Chlollie fic _A Matter of Trust by Jusperson _which was last updated in October 2009 . I messaged the author but didn't get a response. _A Beautiful Lie_ is its own story though, rather than an attempt at completing the existing fic and I hope that I do the characters justice in the situations that they find themselves.

AN: The fluffy ending is heavily hinted at in the prologue. Please remember that should you feel the need to throw virtual fruit at me as the story progresses

Special thanks to Hellzz-on-Earth for bouncing ideas around with me, and for pre-reading chapters. Any errors though are all mine.

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

_Metropolis, 23rd October 2013_

Oliver's feet stopped at the grave, hands in pockets, his eyes behind the sunglasses surveying the area for anyone that could potentially interrupt him because he wanted this exchange (if he could call it that) to be private.

He wasn't here to pay his respects to the dead, to reminisce with a loved one or even to mourn the loss of a good person. But he needed to say some things and it was provident that the person he needed to say them to was six- feet under, because there would have been no way that he would have delivered this dialogue when the person was alive. In fact the last direct words he'd spoken to them were, "_Go to hell_."

He crouched down next to the headstone and removed his sunglasses.

"It's no secret that I've hated you, I especially hated the way that you manipulated me and my family." He stopped for a moment before continuing. "I don't know that you really intended the outcome of our last visit to be anything less than my utter self-destruction, despite your words of encouragement to the contrary."

He paused, standing up and scuffing the gravestone with his foot. "Part of me would just love to just walk all over your grave after all the pain your actions caused me over the years. Not to mention the pains in the ass your children still are because they can't get over their daddy issues… so if it _was_ your intention for me to self-destruct, I get the last laugh, because I didn't and I'm still here."

He looked down at the platinum band on his ring finger and immediately thought of the two blondes waiting for him at home. "Not that I forgive you for taking my parents from me in the first place. …. But if any part of you meant what you said that day, I'd concede the last laugh to you because you were right, and I do have people who are home for me and I wanted you know that."

Sure that he had said all that he needed to; he gave a brief nod towards the headstone. "So long Lionel." He turned around and headed back towards his car putting his sunglasses back on, his mind slipping back to the chain of events that started over five years ago.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Time's they are changin'<strong>

_Come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pen. Keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again. For the loser now, will be later to win. For the times they, they are a changin' – Bob Dylan_

_Star City, 30th June 2008_

Chloe smoothed down the front of her grey skirt and looked at her photo ID again. _C. Annie Sullivan, Queen Industries IT Security – JL International Division_. Despite having being on the payroll for more than two years, she had never set foot in a Queen Industries building or needed the pass to access the executive offices until today. Had she known she would be using the ID, she would have had it updated. The photo made her look like she was a freshman in high school rather than a business professional walking the halls of a top Fortune 500 company.

Changing the photo was something she would do later, once they had gotten to the bottom to what was going on. Her morning had started without drama. She had arrived in Star City from Metropolis early enough to bring Oliver's favorite muffins from Kansas and have breakfast with him before he left for the Queen Industry offices. The muffins a small token of her appreciation for letting her stay in the comfort of his penthouse whilst she was in town.

His more permanent houseguests Victor Stone, Bart Allan and Arthur Curry usually referred to as AC, were still fast asleep when he had headed out. Without immediate company she had booted up her laptop and started to contemplate what she wanted to write. She had found lately that writing had been a therapeutic way to deal with some of her inner feelings, concerns and frustrations in the absence of Clark Kent and Lois Lane the two people she had previously felt she could really talk to.

Clark, her alien best friend was currently torn between trying to be the son his birth father Jor-El wanted him to be, the son Jonathan Kent raised him to be and finally being completely with his first love Lana Lang, having no secrets between them. Add in that she suspected she still held lingering feelings for him, despite telling herself otherwise for years now and she was trying to give everyone space to work things out for themselves.

She'd recently found out that Lois, her beautiful resourceful cousin had started a relationship with Grant Gabriel, the managing editor of the Daily Planet _before_ she had secured a staff position at the paper, her only qualification a handful of articles for a small tabloid paper called the Inquisitor. She on the other hand was still a lowly paid intern despite having several front page by-lines to her name and recently graduating with a double degree.

Grant had further poured salt over her wound by implying that she had _lost her mojo for investigating _and that having Lois in the bullpen would bring back her former spark. She loved her cousin but couldn't help but feel the employment situation was unfair.

When she was the editor of her high school paper she'd had a clear idea of where and who she was supposed to be after graduation. While she had surpassed even her wildest imagination in finding out the truth about aliens and hero's, her thriving career in journalism had yet to come to fruition. In large part due to her need to protect the people closest to her and their secrets, rather than cash in on what she knew. But given she felt a little like she was stuck in the mud with her tires spinning causing her to rock back and forth but not actually move, she was seriously evaluating what she needed to do or where she needed to be in order to be able to move.

A 'Breaking News – Oliver Queen' banner scrolling across the bottom of her computer screen interrupted her current musings. She double clicked on the link expecting something like '_Oliver Queen Star City's favorite son is being credited for the donation to open a new hospital wing_.' As she began to read her fists started clenching and her eyebrows knitted together, the article announcing nothing so philanthropic.

_Has well-known womanizer and Queen Industries CEO, Oliver Queen lost his way? It's reported that Star Cities favorite son was involved in a bar fight early this morning at 1:00 am at the Infinity club last night causing $30,000.00 worth of property damages and several sexual harassment complaints from patrons._

_The young CEO has been under enormous pressure of late by Star City Officials to make sure no jobs would be lost in Star City given the economic climate. The rumored business partnership with Japan's Sato Corporation would have gone some way easing that pressure, however given the President of the Sato Corporation's well known view on CEO's previous brush with bad behavior we can't help but speculate that Oliver Queen is in for more than one type of headache._

Before she had even thought about what she was doing she had started running several searches to gather more details about the allegations. While she couldn't personally vouch for Oliver's whereabouts at 1:00 am, they had run a mission the night before until 11:00 pm. So while it was possible he went out for a drink afterwards, she had arrived at 6:30 am to find him pouring over a proposal making it unlikely. But she also knew that his company meant a lot to him and having a destruction of property charge or sexual harassment complaints made against him wasn't in the plan, ever.

She couldn't help the spine tingling feeling that there was something bigger going on in the background and not an hour later she had a list of several people that she wanted to talk to further, staring with the club manager. Oliver was someone she respected and would be forever grateful to for arranging the best care money could buy for her mother. Not to mention for trusting her with his alter ego's secret and providing her with a much-needed second job, which meant she wasn't a starving graduate while she was still an _intern._

Sending him a quick email offering her support, she left the penthouse with goal for the day, restore Oliver's reputation and maybe she'd get a story she could use while she was at it. _Lost her mojo for investigating – _never_._

-xxXxx-

Oliver had been ready to close the deal with the Sato Corporation on arriving in the office, not answer questions about the Infinity club, which was the first he had heard about it. He hadn't been the drunken lout groping women at bars, or the guy in a bar brawl causing thousands of dollars in damage in years and _not_ since he had become CEO.

But the press line in front of the building had been keen to get in his face about an incident last night and if he thought it would affect his opportunity to pick up women in the future. Thank goodness he had his sunglasses still on otherwise he was sure he could have made the line wilt under the intensity of his disapproving gaze.

_'No_,' he didn't think any incident would affect his opportunity to date in the future. He was Oliver Queen and he was careful to pick women who were happy to appear with him but not be with him – at least not for any length of time. Having an alter ego and three other superhero's living with you just wasn't conducive to a relationship any longer than a couple of hours.

The press had also asked about what the board would do, if he thought his partnership deal was in jeopardy, anything really to get a response out of him. He hadn't missed the press lines at all over the last couple of months and was determined to get to the bottom of the recent interest once the business deal was closed.

After a string of '_no comments_,' he finally made his way into his office only to be confronted by the head of his legal team, Jack Ellis and his Chief Operations Officer, Richard Emerson. Both were graying men in their mid 50's who had been with the company since his Dad had been CEO. They were a bit too business for Oliver's taste, but he respected them.

"Gentleman." He nodded curtly in their direction.

"Oliver," Jack acknowledged letting the thud of a folder hitting the desk echo in the office.

Emerson's hands were pointed in his direction his tone unforgiving. "Do you have any idea of the reputational damage you did last night? The press is all over this."

Oliver placed both hands on his desk and leaned forward. "I am aware the press is all over something, but I am not entirely sure what it has to do with me. I can assure you gentleman that I was not out on the town last night. Now I believe we have a deal to close."

A low growl came from Emerson's throat. "There is no deal to close. Sato have withdrawn their proposal."

"What!"

"You knew Mr Sato's reluctance to begin talks in the beginning was based on your previously publicized youthful indiscretions and his concern over his companies image. What did you think was going to happen Oliver when charges have being filed against you? Sato is running from any association with Queen Industries quicker than you can ask why."

Oliver sat in his chair abruptly, the gravity of the situation now sinking in. The problem was that gathering enough evidence to clear his name was going to take time and the damage, it appeared was already wide spread.

"How could you be so selfish, you knew this deal was important to shore up our position and save jobs."

"I reiterate I was not on the town last night and I'd appreciate holding off on the judgment of my personal life Richard. We'll just have to get the boards support to go for the Wayne Industries pitch, which was our plan in the event that Sato didn't sign. Which they obviously won't."

"The Chair has called for an emergency meeting at ten to discuss and I'm sure you can talk to them then, but given we've just lost this deal I wouldn't expect them to be very amiable to any of your suggestions. "

Richards measure of the boards mood would be on the money, but he wasn't about to be walked over, especially since there seemed to have been some colossal mistake. "Any thoughts Jack?"

"You may want to focus on damage control." Tapping on the folder, "These are the statements from last night and the charges. You have a court date to answer them in three weeks."

He got up from his desk and placed his hands on his hips. "This is ridiculous!"

"This is what it is at the moment Oliver, unless you have a reliable alibi for 1:00 am this morning."

Not immediately no. Because he had used the secret entrance into the Penthouse the buildings security feeds wouldn't be of any use because they didn't show him coming in at all and with his private feeds couldn't very well explain the green suit. He could feel the beginnings of a very large headache coming on.

When he didn't answer, Jacked continued. "Read over the material, and you might want to talk to PR about a statement regarding the Sato deal."

Both men left the office quietly, leaving a seething Oliver. The deal with Sato had been in the bag. He hurled a glass sitting on his desk against the cabinet and watched it shatter, the momentary pleasure in the action of destruction short lived. Damn it, another mess to clean.

He heard a ping on his computer letting him know that he had received an email from one of the team. If a bald evil megalomaniac had launched a plan to take over the world at this minute he would be beyond pissed.

However on checking the sender he noticed it was from Chloe. Her arrival in the morning had been the one bright spot in the day so far.

_To: Oliver Queen_

_From: Chloe Sullivan_

_Subject: This Mornings News_

_Read the news. Thought you might find the gif amusing. I smell a story and it's not the one in print so I'll get back to you when I can._

The gif was from Robin Hood Men in Tights with the caption "_I Robin Hood lost…let me see that script_."*

A small smile crossed his lips in amusement as he watched the gif and he was a little touched at the rest of her message. Chloe was here on a break and had planned to see her mother today. He had never expected or asked her to ever get involved in his day job or any part of his life that wasn't related to the little superhero club she ran ops for.

That she was using some of her personal time to see if she could help _him,_ Oliver Queen, well it was a kindness that he hadn't been shown a lot in his adult life without some kind of remuneration expectation attached to it. However he knew she would say that this little detour in activities was nothing in comparison to what he had done for her.

He knew if there was anything to be uncovered, he couldn't have anyone better in his corner than Chloe. She had earned his admiration the day she stood up in court and testified at Lionel Luthor's trial for the murder of his parents. He hadn't even met her then.

Lionel had been a one-time acquaintance of his partners and one that he hadn't remembered to fondly… or trusted in any degree. Fast forward a few years after the trial and work had taken him to Metropolis, which had led them to crossing paths because of Lionel's son Lex.

Her research skills, quest for justice and ability to stay focused were some of the reasons why he had offered her an ongoing role with JL International – the division he had set up to Fund his activities as the hero Green Arrow. And she had become one of the few people he trusted with parts of the real Oliver Queen.

Experience had been a harsh teacher when it came to putting his trust in people. Too many had tried and succeeded in taking advantage of him when he was younger, seeing him as nothing more than someone to be walked over, shoved aside or sold out to the highest bidder. He had worked hard to manage the constant doubt in his self-worth and the aggressive behavior that the fear of being taken advantage of had triggered in his youth. So while he believed in the goodness of mankind, he also knew a lot of people weren't who they said they were on face value. A survival expert, he had perfected several facades of his own.

Working with the team however had gone some way to easing a few of his trust issues and the constant sense of solitariness he had felt since the principle had called him into his office when he was eight to tell him that his parents weren't coming home because their plane had crashed.

Feeling more optimistic about his day now that Chloe was investigating for team Oliver, he turned his thoughts towards what he could do in the meantime to salvage his reputation.

-xxXxx-

Chloe gave a small smile to Oliver's Executive Assistant, a former community college economics teacher who had lost his job when they had closed down the college he had been teaching at. She didn't know how he had shown up on Oliver's radar and now was not the time to ask. Again she wished that her first visit to Oliver's offices were under more pleasant circumstances.

Her investigations had taken a surprising turn. After being thrown out of the club by two burley men for asking the club manager questions, she'd had to call in reinforcements. With Bart's help she'd gotten a copy of the club footage that was being held as evidence. To say she and their resident speedster were surprised by what she saw was an understatement and had led to a lot of new questions which she had been working through when she had gotten a call from Victor to visit the Queen Industries offices.

He had being doing his own investigations on behalf of Ollie and he had found a security breach from Oliver's personal computer at the office that he couldn't patch remotely. But he'd been of the verge of some other findings as well which Chloe had concurred was important. While she wasn't quite the Cyborg that Victor was when it came to computers, she wasn't second rate either and they needed to find out what information had been hacked into so they could do damage control.

"Hi Lewis, Ms Sullivan to upgrade Mr Queen's IT security software."

"I must say that's a new one," he said raising his eyebrows and chuckling a little "You reporter types are persistent aren't you, the last one tried to offer a stress reliving massage."

Immediately catching on to his implication she waved her employee pass at him. "Yes well, I'm not your average nosey journalist and I would like to do the IT job I've been hired to do…please."

Lewis took her pass and scanned it looking appropriately apologetic when the pass cleared. "I'm sorry Ms Sullivan, you have no idea how many reporters have tried to get access to Mr Queen today." Actually she could. Before she could comment further the door to Oliver's office opened and the man himself emerged. Had it really only been six hours since she had seen him? He was looking a little worse for wear.

It had been two hours since the board had appointed Richard Emerson as Acting Executive CEO and reduced his role as CEO to next to nothing until further notice. While he had anticipated that move would be discussed, he hadn't been anticipating the unanimous decision of the board. Despite his well-prepared counter proposals without sufficient evidence he hadn't been the man involved he had found himself the lone man fighting against the tide. Several of his normally supportive board members including his business mentor Sam Graham weren't able to look him in the eye, acute disappointment in him written in their faces.

"Ms Sullivan…I was hoping you'd be here a little earlier," he said as he ushered her quickly into his office closing the door behind him. He went to open his mouth but Chloe raised her finger to her lips, pulling out a small device and pushing a button her hand resting reassuringly in his arm.

"It's the scrambler Victor has been working on," she said responding to his unasked question and moving to his PC. "And you don't look so great, which for you is really saying something. Have you had anything to eat since breakfast?"

"Being a little pre-occupied today," he mumbled.

She opened her handbag and pulled out a New York wrapped deli ham and cheese sandwich and gave it to him. "I had Bart get this for you, I wasn't sure if you'd eaten."

Unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite he realized how hungry he really was. "Thanks sidekick, so how's your day been. I'm hoping you're here with the fancy gadgets because you found out some things," he said trying to keep his voice neutral and not betray the flurry of emotions that he was going through.

She looked up at him. "My day was more exciting than I first had planned and yes I'm here to help but maybe we can wait for the full debrief I've just got to" her eyes darted back to the computer screen… "oh no you don't!" He watched as her fingers were flying furiously over the keyboard.

"You've been hacked amongst other things, " she said by way of explanation. "Run and hide you second-rate hacker…. What? Already? Damn. You're fast. Okay. Now you just made me angry."

Oliver watched as her face reflected a look of sheer determination and she bit into the left corner of her bottom lip totally engrossed in what she was doing. He'd never really had an opportunity to watch her work, because usually he was miles away on site. Right now she was a ray of sunshine he desperately needed.

He'd been hacked. That raised a lot of questions, who, why and for how long, were the first three that came to mind and did it have anything to do today's events?

A few moments latter he heard her triumphant, "Gotcha! Watch your system crash and burn, there is no where you can hide from us!" she looked up eyes gleaming full of self-satisfaction. Looking at Oliver's face however her smiled dropped.

"Sorry, ignore me and my inappropriate sense of enthusiasm at this moment. You've had a bad day," she said apologetically. "What else has happened other than a media circus?"

"We lost the opportunity to pursue a partnership so the board effectively suspended me from acting as CEO of Queen Industries," he said, his tone indicating he was still coming to terms with that outcome.

Chloe couldn't help but let out a small gasp of surprise. "I didn't know that they could do that, I'm so sorry. Had we known that was going to be a possibility we would have tried to get back to you sooner."

"This mess had nothing to do with you or the team. You couldn't have known this is what was going to happen this morning. But I just…. every single member of the board voted that to leave me in charge would be detrimental to the future of the company. I don't get how after everything I have done to protect the interests of this company, they could think I would do something to sabotage it. They wouldn't even give me 24 hours to put together my defense."

Ouch, it must have been some meeting. She'd never heard him sound so... defeated. Sensing that maybe some information now would help him in whatever internal battle was going on in his head right she offered some her findings. She bought up some photos on her phone and tossed it to him.

"I only have bits and pieces, probably more questions than answers. I tried to interview the club manager at the Infinity Club. The only thing I got out of him before I was escorted off the property was him swearing that it was Oliver Queen at the club two days ago."

His replied somewhat exasperatedly, "It wasn't me, I promise."

"I know," she said as matter of fact as possible. "I never doubted that there was another explanation." His expression relaxed in relief that at least someone believed him. "So, Bart and I got the club's footage that is being held in evidence. The still shots are on the phone." Oliver looked at the first photo, and he had to do a double take. The resemblance was uncanny.

"He looks exactly like me. Wow, did not see that one coming." It was the first time he had seen any photographic evidence, Jack still going through the official channels. But it would explain why everyone was so quick to dismiss his arguments. They had what appeared to be hard evidence.

"Based on a probability model our No 1 suspect is a usually unemployed actor by the name of Nicholas Crane. AC has started shadowing him, and Victor is checking his bank records and emails to see if he's currently being hired for a job."

"So this whole mess is just a case of mistaken identity or someone wanting to have a night out on me?"

"At the very least. My hunch though is that something a little more nefarious is going on, especially since you've been hacked, not to mention the Boards decision to replace you. "

"Yeah you're right, more like someone wants to ruin me."

"Hopefully when we return to the penthouse the boys will have some more pieces of the puzzle for you." She put her hand on his to offer some reassurance. "What ever is going on, you have us to help. You don't have to go through it alone and don't give us any crap about it not being part of our job descriptions."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Aside from Lewis you guys are the only ones in my corner right now."

He felt his voice catch in the back of his throat. He wasn't used to this at all…. she'd bought him breakfast, had gone investigating without being asked…had bought him a snack and apparently had engaged the help of the team. He couldn't remember when the last time was that anyone had gone to so much trouble for _him_. It felt surreal.

Even though it seemed so inadequate to convey his gratitude he found his voice. "Thank-you."

She squeezed his hand. "You never have to thank me for helping you." Since he'd left Metropolis 18 months ago most of their interaction had been over the phone or via email. She hadn't actually spent a lot of time with Oliver in person, but he had become an important figure in her life and she knew she would protect him and his identity just as fiercely as she protected Clark.

-xxXxx-

A.C had been tailing one Nicholas Crane for the afternoon. The guy on first glance was a dead ringer for Ollie. But on closer examination A.C noticed a lot of things that separated the men. His skin color was a little different, his roots indicated his natural hair color was brown not blonde. His walk didn't have the same swagger and his shoulders were hunched ever so slightly. When he spoke his tone was higher and there was a hint of a different accent. This guy was also around 6", and looked like he was wearing lifts in his shoes to even get that height. And when he smiled, the teeth were all wrong. Still he could fool a security camera into thinking he was the real Oliver Queen.

So far though, A.C hadn't noticed anything he would call suspicious unless tacky pick up lines counted. He had slipped a bug into the guys phone just to make sure though and Vic would monitor communications. AC had learnt the hard way that the most unassuming could be the deadliest. Mission accomplished he headed back to the Penthouse; he hoped that they figured out who was trying to smear Ollie's name. Although the fish jokes got a bit much sometimes he owed his life to Ollie. He was a good man, trying to do better. There wasn't a lot that A.C wouldn't do for his friend.

-xxXxx-

Bart dropped the bags down on the kitchen counter without any grace. A.C, Victor and Chloe were otherwise busy and he felt like he should do something to cheer Oliver up. He often got told off because his suggestions were juvenile, but juvenile or not he had decided a fiesta at the Penthouse would be just the thing to lift spirits.

Smiling to himself and humming to his favorite tunes as he went zipping in and out to get the other things, decorating and putting the piñatas up. Yeah so what…at least Bossman could smash _those_ without getting into trouble. Oliver had given him a purpose and let him be a part of his life. Bart didn't know if Oliver really knew how much it actually meant to him that he'd taken him off the streets and given him a chance to have a home with people who could understand him. He was like the big brother he'd never had and there wasn't a lot he wouldn't do for him.

Not half an hour later Victor emerged from the study and Bart looked at him apprehensively not sure what his reaction was going to be…Walking around the living room, his eyes looked like saucers when he spied the balcony area.

"Seriously man, are those cacti, and you transformed the pool into a giant water feature, this is way cool." Victor's eyes dancing over the brightly colored arrangements of flowers throw rugs, fairy lights and paper lanterns. It was everything he'd imagine a fiesta in Mexico would look like.

"You did good Bart." Bart couldn't help but beam at the older man, feeling a little relieved that he wasn't being told off.

-xxXxx-

Chloe was the first to step into the Penthouse a couple of hours later and Bart noted with some satisfaction that he had rendered her speechless.

Oliver on the other hand looked like he was going to hit himself. "Did I miss someone's birthday?" Panic written on his face. "Sidekick, have you being running around on your birthday." He hadn't even gotten her anything. He was a the worlds worst friend, because then he realized he didn't even know when anyone's birthday was.

"No it's not my birthday." Now he was just confused, it didn't look like it was anyone else's birthday either. He watched as she gave Bart a bear hug.

"I'm glad you thought of doing this Bart."

Victor rolled his eyes, anymore positive reinforcement was going to give the kid an ego they were never going to be able to deflate. Chloe gave Bart a little nudge and nodded towards Oliver.

"Like it Bossman? Its for you…" Oliver blinked, he hadn't heard right. For him? He was half expecting a camera crew to yell, 'You've been punked.' Or for little green men to explain that he was now in the twilight zone.

"For me?" Nobody had ever thrown a spontaneous part for him ever.

"For you…do you like it?" Bart asked again.

Did he like it… he reviewed the room with a critical eye, the colors clashed in several places and it looked like Bart had robbed an IKEA store. The straw men with the sombreros were a bit of overkill, and a few flamenco dancers wouldn't have gone amiss… But whom was he kidding. He loved it, more so for the fact that someone had made an effort than anything else. He could feel his eyes getting misty and he looked at Bart's anxious face, aware that the he could totally kill everyone's mood with one word or action. Quickly getting his emotions under control he opened his mouth.

"I…thank you Bart… and is that a Piñata?" Moving towards the balcony actually excited, a grin genuinely on his face.

-xxXxx-

Five hours later when they had all eaten until they couldn't move and they had finally busted the Piñata with the help of a couple of explosive arrows, they were lounging around on the deck chairs admiring the moon casting it's reflection into the water feature.

"Thank you guys and one lady…for today." Oliver said quietly looking at them all. "I haven't had many good friends in my life, or at least people that I considered to be good friends to me. I've always had to wonder if people really liked who I was, or if they were after something else. This team, what we do…its important to me, and I couldn't do it half as well without you."

As he thought more about the pieces coming together, someone else was pulling some pretty damn big strings in the background. He would fight anything that threatened to destroy what he had built but at this point some kind of change to the status quo was inevitable and as much as he wanted to believe that they would come out on top, experience had taught him that wasn't always the case.

"I…..I just want you to know that no matter what happens you all mean a lot to me. Even though I'm not the greatest at showing it."

"Ollie man, obviously you are far more fragile than we ever thought. But without you, I doubt any of us boys would be as alive as we are. Bart would be starving, A.C in prison and I'd be 6ft under. I don't think you realize that we would do almost anything for you whatever name you go under, Oliver Queen, Ollie or Green Arrow, you're our big bro."

"I second that." Chloe giggled, she had been enjoying a couple of margaritas and was feeling a little light headed. "Not the big brother part, Clark might get upset…but the part where I would do almost anything for whichever of the pseudonyms your using at the time."

"A toast….to Ollie," A.C smiled.

"To Ollie…" came the chorus, no matter what happens they all added silently.

**To be continued**

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><p>AN 3: * you can view the robin hood icon at createblog avatars_icons42398-robin-hood (no space before the dot) or a link is on my profile page.

AN 4: Banner for the story can be found on my Live Journal page ica013 .livejournal. com - (no space before the dot) or a link is on my profile page.

AN 5: Chapters 1-12 have had a polish since I first posted them in case you've noticed that this chapter looks a little different.


	2. What's done is done

AN:** THANK YOU **to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and alerted. It means a lot and the response to the first chapter was most encouraging.

AN: For the purposes of this Fic Chloe's birthday is in November which is when the season 4 episode aired about her 18th Birthday. Also I imagine Moira Sullivan as Lynda Carter but with Blonde Hair.

Shout out to Tadashee for her input and Hellzza on Earth for being my all round cheerleader and beta. Any mistakes though are all mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 – What's Done is Done<strong>

_What's done is done, you can't change me, I keep movin on cause its my destiny – Bio Killaz_

_Star City, 1st July 2008_

It seemed to Chloe that it had only been moments ago that her head had hit the pillow and her body had fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted from the day's events. The sound of her phone though bought her back into a semi conscious state, her hand reaching to find it so she could turn it off before …nope to late… '_Time is waiting, we only got 4 minutes to save the world_.' Lois's ring tone.

"Mmmm-llo," was all she could manage her eyes resisting being opened.

"Cuz?"

"Lo is everything okay?" she mumbled.

"What are you doing?" There was a hitch in her cousin's voice that told Chloe something was up.

Chloe placed her hands over her eyes blocking out the sunlight that had started to peak through the curtains her head spinning. "I was sleeping until you woke me up. So what's going on?"

"Oh. So you don't know?"

Looking at the time on her phone she moaned. "Lois its barely 6:30am here, I just went to sleep. You are going to have to spell out what it is that I don't know." She heard Lois take a deep breathe.

"Lex Luthor just announced his purchase of the Daily Planet and that he will be starting as editor in chief next Monday."

Her eyes shot open and she sat up. "What!" Now fully alert …her chest feeling like a heavy weight had been placed on it, the spinning now a confirmed headache behind her right eye.

"Yeah I know, talk about being blindsided. HR have been sending out emails. I got offered the choice of gossip columnist or pink slip. Rude much…"

Right at that instant Chloe couldn't bring herself to talk to Lois. "Lo… I'll call you back later." Hanging up the phone before her cousin could protest. She grabbed her laptop and quickly logged in. Sure enough she had a message from the Daily Planet HR department.

_To: Chloe Sullivan,_

_From: Daily Planet HR,_

_Subject: Internship,_

_Dear Ms Sullivan,_

_We congratulate you on your recent graduation._

_As you now may be aware a new owner has acquired the Daily Planet. We confirm that as of 5 July 2008, your internship position will no longer be available and that currently we have no staff vacancies._

_Please ensure that any personal belongings still on the premises are removed by 5 July 2008._

_Kind Regards_

_Daily Planet HR Management_

And there it was in black and white, the finale torpedo through the heart of her life long dream to be a respected Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist working at the Daily Planet that had been hanging on by a thread. Not that _respected_ would be a word associated with the Planet for much longer with Lex Luthor in charge. It would be out with the old and in with the easily controlled, which she refused to believe applied to her.

It stung to no end, knowing that her first career choice wasn't available to her anymore because of Lex. But really would she have stayed if Lex had let her? Lex the guy who at one time had fought his dad to keep the Smallville plant open saving hundreds of jobs, the guy who had worked with her Uncle Sam to keep her dad and her safe before she testified against Lionel. Lex…had been her hero at one time.

And her one time hero had become the same guy who had kidnapped the other members of JL International, her mother and herself, experimented on them, obsessed with harnessing what-ever power he could lay his hands on. He was someone she would love to expose to the world. Could she have borne to have her career confined to writing obituaries and fluff pieces while the stories she was proud of were relegated to the out filing bin deemed to be unprintable by the editor in chief? Shaking her head and taking a moment to accept what she already knew…Chloe Sullivan could never work for or under Lex Luthor.

So if by some sick twisted move on Lex's part he hadn't fired her, she would have left anyway. What a way for her musings on 'where to from here' regarding her career to come to head. At least she wasn't at a total loss at where to start. Pauline Kahn who had given her the intern position at the Daily Planet was the current Editor of the Star City Register and had already agreed to meet with her during the week she was here.

Having sorted through her immediate thoughts she called her cousin back.

"Cuz are you okay?"

"Yeah Lo, just needed a little time to digest that I no longer have a job at the Daily Planet."

"I'm sorry, I know how much working here meant to you. Trust Lex Luthor to be the dream killer."

"I'm sorry for the both of us. I'm guessing with the choice that the bald man gave you your taking the pink slip?"

"Yeah, no way am I being demoted to gossip columnist. I've already gotten a couple of interviews for other papers and I can freelance in meantime or Mrs K also offered me my old job as her Chief of Staff."

"At least you have some options. What about Grant is he staying?" She heard Lois sigh.

"Grant is heading to London, but I don't do the distance thing and London is not where I want to be so I guess we've called in quits…"

Chloe pounded her pillow a bit to release some of her frustration. She may have had issues with some of Grant's professional choices, but he had been good to Lois and he had made her smile more than any other boyfriend had in the past. She knew somewhere Lex was having a party of sorts. "I hate that Lex's isn't losing any sleep over this."

"I'll be fine baby cuz…I'm getting good at handling breakup's although a break up and losing my job in the same day is a first. But moving on, how's your mom? Is Ollie taking care of you?" Chloe was so grateful she didn't have to lie to Lois about who she was staying with; she kept enough secrets from her cousin as it was.

"There were some issues at Queen Industries that I helped with yesturday but I'm going to see Mom today." No need to tell Lois that Ollie had issues of his own. They might not be dating any more, but she knew they had a soft spot for each other and Lois had already been handed a double hitter. "I don't want for anything at the moment and I'll see Pauline Khan later this week."

They chatted until Chloe was satisfied that Lois was copping with the reveals and consequences of the day. She made a mental note to get Clark to drop off a box of maple donuts, Lois's go to comfort food and if he wasn't available there was always Bart.

-xxXxx-

An hour later after she had freshened up and gathered her thoughts, she headed towards the kitchen in search of coffee pleased to find a freshly made pot waiting. Gratefully pouring herself a cup she headed out the balcony doors intending to admire the views of the pacific-ocean. She stopped short.

Oh. 'Wow' was the only word her brain could come up with and it seemed to be woefully inadequate since she had used the same description when she'd first met Oliver… and he'd been fully clothed then. And here he was saluting the sun, top half bare, his washboard abs glistening from the sweat of his morning workout.

"Enjoying the view?" His mouth smirked upwards as he noticed her taking in his half clothed form.

"Absolutely." Eyeing him and then the ocean. "It's just not something that Metropolis has to offer." She smiled back at him.

He gave her a slightly bemused look.

"Thanks for being my barista this morning," she said taking a sip of the warm liquid, before sitting down at the outdoor setting. "This is great coffee."

Grabbing his towel and water bottle he joined her at the table. "Your welcome. So what's with the early morning, I didn't really expect any company till much later. Still on Metropolis time?"

"I wish. Lois called to tell me that Lex Luthor bought the Daily Planet and you can guess the rest I am sure. I couldn't really go back to sleep after that little bit of news."

Ouch. Since he'd known her, Chloe's dream had been to be the Planet's ace reporter. To have it bought by Lex, the guy he was sure was at the top of her baddies list….it had to hurt. As a business decision though, it was bold and reflective of Lex's desire for power and control.

Looks like he had a chance to be the supportive friend today. "No one would blame you for being angry or disappointed. If anyone gets it, it's me."

"Yeah you would."

"So how are you really feeling. Don't feel you need to hold back in your opinion on my account."

"It bites, I mean the Planet is the most respected news publication in the country. I had such dreams of exposing corruption in its pages and the person I want to expose most… now owns it…" she caught herself from continuing, thankful for the invitation but mindful that Oliver was going through his own issues.

"How 'bout you. How are you feeling the day after?" she asked, not wanting to make it all about her.

He noticed that she seemed reluctant to share any more with him and judging by her question it had to do with yesterday's events. Bless her heart, she didn't want to burden him with her issues. "It bites," he replied using her words. "Badly, but it's done now. I can't change the past, I can only try and affect the future." He'd learnt that by bitter experience.

"That's a very healthy attitude."

"Took me years to learn it."

She smiled and touched her forefinger to her nose. "Ah so that was the whiff of old age and wisdom," her eyes dancing a little, grateful for the change in topic.

"I'm only a couple of years older than you."

She raised her eyebrows at his statement. "You're what in your thirties now?" she asked teasingly, already knowing his age.

He did his best to look offended. "Twenty-eight turning Twenty-nine."

"Hmm anyone that close to 30….."

He swatted her playfully with his sweat towel. "I think we've established that I am older than you. So when is your birthday?"

"November 10, I'll be 22."

"Huh our birthdays are less than three weeks apart." He had been thinking about having a quiet birthday this year, but maybe it didn't need to be too quiet.

"We could go to Vegas on me," he mused "to celebrate our birthdays…ever been?" That actually would be a lot of fun, the boys, Chloe and himself and after the last two days they deserved a little down time. He'd even invite Clark, Lana and Lois or anyone else she wanted. Having Lois around wouldn't be awkward. Their relationship had been three months of flirtation and fun and she had been someone he could see himself caring a lot about. But things had gotten in the way and neither of them had been mature enough to work past it. They were still on friendly terms though.

A small smile made its way across her lips and she shook her head slightly. "Wow…no I've never been…" Truthfully, this had been her first trip out of Kansas that she could remember.

He watched her face. "But?" he asked sensing she was hesitant.

"Aren't their other people you celebrate with, you know traditionally? Besides you're already too good to me, I don't need a trip to Vegas."

He looked away for a moment and ran his hands through his blonde hair before placing both hands, palms together on the table.

"Chloe, I meant what I said last night; I haven't had many good friends that were my friends because they liked me. So it might be kind of nice to celebrate a birthday with people who I know actually give a crap about me instead of my money, fame or just to be seen and that hasn't happened in a long time. As for being too good to you, you make that easy. You don't expect anything from me… Will you think about it…_.please_?"

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes she felt bad for assuming whom Oliver would want to spend his time with. She was reminded that he was a person with no real family of his own and had spent years that way. That he had turned out into such an affable and caring person was a huge credit to him.

"It's a couple of months away, and if I can work the trip in with whatever job I get, then I would love to go to Vegas."

"Okay," he said acknowledging her acceptance of the Vegas idea. "You know you still have your job with us right? If you wanted to I can make it full-time."

"No, I didn't know that, I mean with everything that happened at Queen Industries yesterday I wasn't sure what that would mean for JL International."

"Being CEO is more about trying to honor my parent's vision for the company. But honestly at a dollar a year, I'm not going to miss the pay much. "

A small smirk formed. "You're right, that doesn't even cover the cost of your shoelaces."

"No it doesn't. With a little help from some friends though I am confident that I can restore my reputation and resume my duties as CEO sooner, rather than later…and in the meantime it's business as usual for JL International."

"That's all good to know, and I'II help you with anything that I can. But I'm not ready to give up on being a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist yet though."

"I can understand that. So any thoughts?"

"Before I came out here I'd arranged a meeting with the editor of the Star City Register for later this week and I'll start canvassing some of the other national papers I would like to work at. And hopefully Lex doesn't have much pull when it comes to papers because I am sure that I'll be blacklisted."

"You were looking at leaving Metropolis anyway?" That surprised him, especially given her attachment to Lois and Clark.

"I was looking at my options and now it seems leaving is inevitable."

"I'll help you in whatever way I can, although until we find out more about why someone is trying to make my life a living hell, I'm not sure that being a known associate will help your journalistic career."

She raised her eyebrows. "You are one of my best friends, and an incredibly generous person. I'm not afraid of any association with you."

He gave her one of the biggest grins she'd ever seen from him acknowledging the compliment. Looking at his watch he got up. "Ditto. Are you going to see your mom today?"

"Yeah. What about you, what are you doing today?"

"If you want someone to come with you I'm free."

"Thanks, but this is something I need to do by myself."

"Okay, then I have someone to follow." He kissed her temple and left before she could ask him what exactly he meant by that.

Her hand went to her temple without thinking, her fingers lightly brushing over the area his lips had briefly touched. That was unexpected, but not unwelcome. He was without doubt one of the most interesting men she ever had had the privilege of knowing.

-xxXxx-

Oliver pulled his grey hoodie closer around his face and stopped to lace up his runners, no one paying any mind to a guy out jogging at midday. Shadowing Nicholas Crane was a task the boys had been a little reluctant to let him carry out in case he did something impulsive. Pfffttt, _he_ wasn't the one called Impulse.

Oh hello this could be interesting…Nicholas Crane just got into a limo…. Oliver got a snap shot of the license plate and started a DMV search, thankful for Victor's upgrades to his phone. A couple of moments later he started swearing… the car was registered to LuthorCorp.

-xxXxx-

It had been almost midday by the time Chloe had been able to walk through the doors of S.T.A.R Labs, where her mother was being cared for. It had been almost two years since they had last seen each other and it was a big step for her to be here.

She had been devastated when her brief reunion with her mom had resulted in Moira slipping back into a catatonic state. All the things she'd hoped to tell her, all the questions she wanted to ask had gone unspoken. At the time the anger she felt towards Lex for having her mother ripped away again had driven her harder to find evidence to put Lex away, but at the same time she couldn't face her mom.

She took a deep breath and headed over to the reception area. A nurse in pink scrubs intercepting her before she got there. "Hi you must be Moira's daughter, Chloe, I'm Tiffany one of your mothers primary caretakers. We were a bit worried about you, we thought you were coming yesterday."

"Yes I'm Chloe," she acknowledged, reading the persons nametag. "Nice to meet you. I had planned on coming yesterday but something came up."

"Not to worry, things do come up. Would you like to speak with Moira's treating doctor before you see her?"

She was somewhat relived the nurse hadn't given her any kind of guilt trip about not visiting earlier and not just yesterday. As to the question Tiffany had asked. She hadn't really given any thought to enquiring about her mother's care. Oliver had told her it was the best money could buy and she had been more than a little relieved that he had taken care of everything, because at the time she just couldn't deal.

Would she like to speak with her mother's doctor? What if she got asked questions she couldn't answer or worse wasn't ready to answer? She probably should have asked Oliver how much his research staff knew about Smallville and meteor rocks.

Still it had taken her awhile to build up the courage to come out to Start City and see her mom. Trying to work through her feelings regarding her mother's illness and her own issues with being meteor infected was part of the reason why she had needed to come. Talking with a medical professional might help her with her own generally unvoiced concerns. Coming to a decision she smiled at Tiffany.

"I would like that," she replied truthfully.

"I'll let Dr Hamilton, know you're here."

Chloe moved towards the sofa in the reception area and got lost in her thoughts, about Ollie, Lex, her job, Lois, everything really.

"Aahem, Ms Sullivan." Chloe snapped out of her trance and looked up to see who she assumed was her mother's treating doctor. She stood up holding out her hand.

"Please, call me Chloe."

"Emil Hamilton, I'm your mother's treating specialist." Chloe's eyes went wide as she registered the name.

"_The_ Dr Emil Hamilton, former research fellow at John Hopkins specializing in Chromosomal abnormalities." She gushed.

"Guilty."

"Oh, wow, Oliver wasn't kidding when he said he got the best…"

"And I must say it is a pleasure to meet the source of some of my background information regarding several of my patients….unique genetic changes." She looked at him puzzled.

"Your articles for the Torch have been more than enlightening as to the differing affects meteor rock can have on the human body." She was surprised that an esteemed doctor such as himself had bothered to read her articles as a form of _research?_ It had also answered her earlier question about how much at least one doctor knew.

She blushed a little at the compliment." Oh…glad that my articles were of some use. So what can you tell me about my mom. How's she doing?"

"Physically she is incredibly healthy but the dose of serum when she was last in Kansas has caused long term damage to her neural pathways and its unlikely that recreating the serum would be able to bring her back." He put a reassuring hand on her arm.

"But that doesn't mean were going to give up and we just had to try something a little different and we have had some success with a couple of other connotations. On most days, she shows signs of having a very active brain and her eyes move, allowing for a form of communication."

"So what the stuff in Kansas even if I could get it now, wouldn't help – is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"Yes it seems that the serum was only meant to be a short term solution anyway – that or the doctors who had worked on it didn't know of its side affects."

The decision to listen to her mom and not go to Lex had always plagued her. But being the bald man's tendency to block her happy ending at every path, it seemed that it had been the right call. Digesting that last bit of information she filed it away with her other grievances against Lex. She took a deep breath trying to settle some of her anxiety. "Okay…I think I should see her now."

"Moira should be by the rose garden in the south wing. Why don't you stay at the facility tonight? Your mother's suite has an extra bed and I would appreciate the opportunity to have a more in depth conversation with you tomorrow. Your personal experience could prove valuable as I am often asked to attend to patients that have been guests of various 33.1 facilities."

She was surprised that Dr Hamilton would want to talk to her about other things. He was amongst the world's most foremost researchers and she just had a knack to attract trouble.

"I can stay, although I'm not sure I could add anything of value regarding 33.1, if you've had the chance to speak to recent guests. Other than my opinion of the person who was responsible for putting them their in the first place, that is."

"You'd be surprised how a different set of eyes see things, especially one with your obviously keen observation skills. I'll see you tomorrow morning then, after breakfast. To get to the Rose Garden just follows the signs out on the right."

"Thanks," she said as she made her way towards the gardens. The flower-beds were a beautiful burst of pinks, yellows, oranges and whites complemented of course by the green foliage. Her mother looked like she was resting peacefully on a chaise lounge like a Grecian princess, her blonde hair platted to one side.

She crouched down in front of her mother and took her hand. "Hi Mom. Its me Chloe." She searched for some sign of recognition and her heart did a little leap when she saw Moria's eyes flickered a little. One of her fears was that she would get no response at all.

Feeling grateful that first contact was now behind her and also greatly encouraged by Moira's response she grabbed a chair to sit opposite.

"I should've of come by months earlier, but truth is I wasn't ready." She sighed. "I still don't know if I am ready to deal with the effects of meteor rock on us and now probably isn't the best time, but I know if I don't start trying, I'll bury it and pretend it doesn't bother me until it blows up spectacularly in my face." She paused looking back at her mom, still sitting on the edge of the seat.

"So here I am. And maybe we should start with what's been happening in my life in the last month or so." She settled herself comfortably into her chair.

"Your cub reporter graduated last month, Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Journalism and Computer Science. Dad's still working as a Project Manager on a top secret military contract, location undisclosed." She missed her dad, but he was safe and in her world that was all she could ask.

"Dad sent me your engagement ring as a graduation gift with his version of the story of how he proposed with Uncle Sam's help and you said yes. Sometimes I wonder if he shouldn't have gone into standup comedy instead." Her parents had been so in love…a major reason they had divorced in the first place was because Moira had been afraid of her condition and had pushed Gabe away. Chloe had done the same thing with Jimmy when she had found at about her ability. Pushing men away during times of uncertainty seemed to been an instinctual thing for the Lane women to do. They all did it.

"Back to the graduation, we did the whole pomp and ceremony thing. Wish you and Dad could've been there. Mrs Kent was there with Lionel…that relationship creeps me out on all kinds of levels can I just say. Lois, Clark, Pete, Lana and Bart." Thinking of the little speedster bought a smile to her face, he had given her a dozen tulips from Holland to mark the occasion.

She told her mom about the purchase of the Daily Planet by Lex and how she really felt about that, the Leagues success in shutting down the 33.1 facilities, and what was happening with Oliver – he been their benefactor and all.

Looking deeply into her mom's baby blues, she felt a _connection_ to the older woman. Like her mom had heard every word and empathized with her. Part of her wanted to kick herself for delaying this moment, but then considering what it had taken to get her here, she didn't know when she would have made a different decision.

As her stomach growled she was surprised at how fast the afternoon had gone. It was already 5:30 pm and no doubt dinner would be ready soon. She quickly sent a text to the guys to let them know she was staying with her mom.

Later that evening after she had helped the nurses get her mom ready for bed and borrowed a set of PJ's she sat on her mom's bed knees tucked up to her chest holding her mom's hand rubbing circles on it.

"I found out I was meteor infected a couple of weeks after you came to Star City and I have a pretty good idea of what may ability could be. Lois was hurt pretty bad about a year ago, one of Lex's goons had run her through with a knife while she was investigating a story. She called me and by the time I got to where she was, there was barely had a pulse. I remember kneeling over and telling her that she couldn't die because I loved her too much and I was crying and then I felt this warm peaceful feeling go through me like everything was alright. The next thing I remember is waking up in a morgue 'cause the hospital declared me dead. But Lois was okay, like nothing had happened to her." She paused, the memory of waking up in the morgue still sent shudders down her spine.

"I am scared mom…about the consequences of being meteor affected but at the same time I saved Lois and I have to be grateful for that. I did see a doctor in the hopes of a cure, but that didn't work out so well." Dr Knox had actually wanted to remove her heart and it was only Clark's intervention that had saved her.

"I haven't tried to use it since Lois. But I badly want to. I need you mom. I mean what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't at least try to heal you. I don't know if it would work or what it might do to me if it does, but I want to try… okay?"

Her mother looked at her a little blankly, so different from earlier on in the day. If she could even heal her even a little it would be so worth what ever the consequences might be to her own body.

"Just don't let me wake up in a morgue, please," she whispered.

She put one of her hands on her mother's forehead and the other on her arm and willed everything she had into healing her mother's ailment. She felt like all the energy was leaving her body...and then…nothing. She opened her eyes to see her mother staring at her and flopped down beside her utterly exhausted.

"Probably serves me right for calling us meteor freaks all those years"…. She was feeling a sense of bitter disappointment. "I'm sorry mom… I love you," she said giving her mom a hug, letting her tears fall, briefly experiencing the same warm peaceful feeling before exhaustion claimed her.

She didn't feel the arms of her mother sometime latter gather her up to cradle her, whispering "I love you too baby girl…"

**To be Continued**

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> In watching the Season 6 special feature on the introduction to the Green Arrow, one of the producers mentioned that the relationship between Lois and Oliver was just a flirtation and wasn't mature, so that's where I've taken my explanation of Oliver and Lois's relationship from. Also Lois appeared to move on fairly quickly to Grant in the show so I never got the feeling that Lois felt like Ollie was the love of her life.


	3. The Bitter and Sweet

Thanks to Chlollie, Sophia and Melonhead my unregistered reviewers and Kudos again to the registered reviewers and those that have alerted or Fave'd

**Spoliers: **References in this chapter to the brilliant Nolanverse -The Dark Knight.

Kudos to Hellzz_on_Earth for the Beta (any mistakes are mine though)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - The Bitter and Sweet<strong>

_The bitter and sweet go hand in hand, Time on the rock and time in the sand, Life worth living don't go as planed, When the bitter and sweet go hand in hand – Chris Lawson Jones_

_Star City, 11th August 2008_

Oliver loved being on his bike. And being on his bike as Green Arrow…priceless. It was just his skills and his ride pitted against the underbelly of Star City and one of the places where he felt truly free.

When he had started as Green Arrow the city had embraced him, citizens on the occasion helping him out or publicly defending him as a gesture of thanks for looking out for them and the city. He'd even worked with the SCPD – off the record and it had resulted in several high profile arrests.

The city's attitude had changed though; he first noticed it shortly after the board appointed Emerson as Executive CEO. _That_ news had come and gone without much fanfare. What had caused the fuss was the several hundred lay- offs that came with Emerson's appointment. Consolidation of projects in the wake of the 'Global Financial Outlook' was cited as the reason.

The citizens had become a little colder towards one another. It was like they were bracing themselves for a dramatic downturn in their fortune, spearheaded by the less than optimistic outlook by its biggest employer and they were keen to make sure that number one was looked after.

But the biggest shift in the public's demeanor which impacted him had come a couple of weeks ago when National Coverage had focused on the terror of Gotham's citizens as a psycho named the Joker challenged the vigilante known as Batman. A lot of people had been threatened, a few good people had died and the city had been thrown into chaos.

Star City now seemed to be gripped by this fear that Green Arrow would bring about similar incidents and had begun to shun him. It was making things incredibly difficult, even his normal police contact had been noticeably silent.

Still Oliver was not deterred; he hadn't decided to be Green Arrow because it was safe or popular to do so, he'd done it so that he could help people. He just had to be more careful about his activities and whose attention he captured.

And right now Green Arrow was tailing Nicholas Crane who had proven to be a very slippery subject, which had only served to make Oliver and the team more suspicious of his activities.

Being seen in the Luthor limo all those weeks ago had proven to be a dead end. Neither Lex nor Lionel had been in town and there was no other evidence to point towards anyone else. As for the hacker, Victor had finally traced the link to a well-known figure named Two Dotcom who was a finger for hire. Problem with that was he (or she) didn't have a known profile, so shaken 'em down for answers was out of the question and they hadn't gotten a bite when they had tried to set up a false job in an attempt to flush him (or her) out.

It was incredibly frustrating not to have any concrete evidence that could be acted on. On the upside, there had been no news reports of any kind on him, his social life or lack of social life, since. Oliver Queen as a commodity seemed to have lost any value.

He noticed the car in front of him slowing down. Great, they were in the docks warehouse district. There was no way for him to enter on his bike without being seen, he was going to have to stash it and continue by rooftop.

Sticking to the shadows he made his way towards an open window. Thankful for the lucky break he listened intently, but wasn't able to get a visual.

"Mr Crane, what can I do for you." Obviously the guy Mr Crane was working for. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it due to the bad acoustics.

"The next job, I want double what you offered." Oliver rolled his eyes. One didn't have to be a genius to know that that line never got you what you wanted when you were talking to a guy in a warehouse. He heard the obligatory laughter from the boss's associates.

Damn, he was going to have to save the guys ass if he wanted to talk to him. He quickly surveyed the area coming up with a rescue plan, and was about to make a move.

"I like you Mr Crane…you have… spunk. I am open to renegotiating our agreement."

Green Arrow paused. That was new, and totally breaking the cliché. He needed to get a look at whom Crane was talking to. Heading towards another window he cautiously made his way towards it, making sure the roof would take his weight.

Peering in, a flood of thoughts rushed him all at once. The guy in the suit was John Deleon, the current Chief Financial Officer of Queen Industries. Shocked was an understatement. The guy was a ruthless businessman, but meeting Nicholas Crane in a warehouse? Looking at the vehicle parked at the entrance though Oliver became incensed. The license plate gave it away as the Luthor Corp limo. Which meant that it was a good bet that Nicholas had been meeting John that day five weeks ago.

"But first we are going to have to do something about Green Arrow did you know that he followed you here?" he heard John leer. Crap! He'd been spotted; he'd have to figure out how that happened…later.

The sound of gunfire echoed through the warehouse, the roof collapsing beneath his feet under the hail of bullets, leaving Green Arrow exposed to the group now standing in front of him. Thankfully his grappling hook had been able to find something to anchor to and he had landed on his feet unscathed. Surveying the scene it was hardly going to be a fair fight…five guys with automatic weapons, plus Nicholas and John against him. Flight would be his best option.

"Take it easy, gentlemen. I'm just a guy with a bow and arrow." He said, his distorted voice echoing through the relatively empty warehouse.

The men moved to surround him and Oliver centered himself predicting their next moves. They would want to have some fun with him first before shooting him full of bullets, he was sure. Without hesitation he pulled his EMP arrow out and shot it towards the circuit breakers causing a blackout in the immediate area and creating a much-needed diversion with a speed that caught his would be attackers off guard.

The night vision functions in his glasses giving him the advantage, he strategically moved out of the way. It hadn't escaped his notice that John and Nicholas had bolted towards the car Nicholas had driven. Cowards.

He shot out the two front tires preventing the car from going anywhere and blocking the Limo behind it.

He took a moment to look at the duplicitous CFO. While he would dearly love to have chat with Mr Deleon, it was perhaps a discussion Oliver Queen would be better suited for. He released a knock out gas arrow in their direction and waited for the effects to kick in before giving the CFO a good left hook before grabbing Nicholas Crane.

Oliver was now satisfied that Nicholas was a stooge in the grand scheme of things and everyone knew that the stooge was expendable when things went wrong. Judging by the fact that John had realized Nicholas had been followed; things had gone very wrong for his look-a-like. If he was smart he'd get out of town before something bad happened, and Green Arrow was going to give him that opportunity.

Getting out of his Green Arrow gear a while later, the night's revelation another kick in the guts, Oliver felt the need to forget for a couple of hours. Forget that John Deleon obviously had an association with someone at Luthor Corp most likely with the initials LL; that the City he had sworn to protect no longer seemed to want Green Arrow, and even that he as Oliver Queen was unmemorable to the general public.

Wallowing wasn't healthy he knew, but the company of a beautiful woman, the smell of her perfume, the feel of her soft skin under him, …he could do that. Just a couple of hours to forget, be distracted… tonight he would allow himself that luxury.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 12th August 2008_

It had been four weeks since she had relocated her life away from _him_ to Star City. He eyed his best friend as she talked animatedly about her current research. He hadn't seen her this _carefree_ for want of a better word since…well since before she had known he was an alien from another planet.

"I just…you know for a moment there it felt like everything was falling down around me and here I am and things are really good." She looked at her friend.

"You haven't heard a word I've said have you?" she asked a little dejectedly.

Clark snapped out it. "Of course I have, and I am happy for you. You worked hard to be taken seriously as a journalist and now you're working on _the_ weekly broadcast current affairs program in the country."

Chloe nodded acknowledging that Clark's response. No one had been more surprised than her when Pauline Kahn had made a personal recommendation that she fill the spot as a researcher for_ Hour, _the nations most watched current affairs program, which happened to be produced by DC Media Holdings the owners of the Star City Register.

She got to work with award winning producers, journalists, and Pauline had been open to her submitting articles to the Register on a freelance basis, should she find the time. Oh and it was totally a plus that Perry White was currently working as a consultant on the show. It was everything Chloe didn't know she wanted and it still provided her with the means and flexibility to investigate other things including Corporate America's least ethical citizen, LuthorCorp and its head Lex.

While at first she thought maybe Oliver had pulled some strings, he had confirmed that QI had no interest in DC Media Holdings and that their CEO wasn't particularly fond of him. It had been a massive boost to her confidence that she had gotten the recommendation on her own merit.

"How's your mom doing?" Clark asked. That had thrown everyone in their little group for a loop. He'd had a frantic call from Oliver on the 2nd of July saying that something had happened to Chloe and her mom and could he please come.

Moira had barricaded her room off and would only speak to Clark. She had been under the impression that she was being held against her will and that if they were truly whom they said they were they would prove it and call Clark.

After everyone had calmed down, Dr Hamilton had examined Chloe and he had declared that she was suffering from extreme exhaustion but should be fine with rest. It had taken her a while to come clean with the team as to the source of her mother's miraculous recovery, and even then it hadn't been a lot of details.

"I was hoping you'd be up for stopping by her place later, I wanted to see how she was doing this morning," Chloe replied. She had been overjoyed on waking up to find her mother fussing over her. They had talked about possibly getting a place together, but for now her mom was still staying at the S.T.A.R Labs facility so that Emil could keep an eye on her.

Emil also had a theory as to how her ability might work but Chloe still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of being part of any "tests" to prove either his or her own theory just yet.

"She's doing okay. I never thought what it would be like for her you know to adjust back into the land of the living. I mean she hasn't really been apart of the world for years and so many things have changed." Aside from her 24 hours of lucidness at the hands of Lex, Moria had spent years in various institutions with varying degrees of functionality. She could understand that her mom needed some time to come to terms with everything.

"You still haven't told me what's up with you." Silence. She studied the face of her best friend trying to decipher what was causing his sullenness today.

"Who is it, Jor-El, Lex…Lana?" She asked going for the top three people that usually caused him concern.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Oh this is never end well."

"When I was at the fortress and my bizarro double was leading my life…you knew it wasn't me didn't you."

"Well" she replied guardedly "I knew something was wrong."

"What tipped you off."

Anticipating where he was going with this she tried to defend her other friend. "Okay first of all in total fairness to Lana, she's never really gotten an opportunity to know all the sides of you. You've always been hiding something from her."

"Chloe…just answer the question please."

"It was little things; I told your double I'd get back to him and he was so persistent, or he asked where something was because he had forgotten about it. But I know that you never forget anything. The biggest tip off though when he said that once some loose ends were tied up he was leaving Smallville with Lana. It just didn't seem to be like a step you would make without talking to someone else about it. It was like your personality was in a whole other universe." She watched as Clark seemed to be struggling with something.

"What's going on Clark?"

"I don't think it's going to work with Lana. I mean she's supposed to know me better than anyone, yet she didn't realize it was someone else in our bed." Ouch that one would have hurt a lot. Still she had learnt a thing or too over the years about getting involved.

"Clark the only ones that are going to know if it's going to work is Lana and you. And having had front seats to the merry-go-around for the last seven or so years, I don't know what else to say to you," she said gently.

"It's not just Lana. You're gone, Lois is Washington and so is mom, I just feel so…alone."

"Clark, I'm less than a minute away although you're going to have to give me the heads up before you come so you don't blow your secret in front of Perry. I would pay big money to see Lois's face on your announcement that you miss her. And your mom…you can have lunch with every afternoon if you wanted too."

"I know, but it's not the same."

"Hmm, I think this is the part of our lives called growing up. I mean as idyllic as our dreams were when we were younger that nothing would change, reality had to kick in sooner or later." She looked at him, waiting for his response.

Seeing she wasn't getting anything from him she decided to offer some comfort. "Look we're still good. You still hold the title of my best friend. As for all our other relationships we can't change the past, we can only try and affect the future and move forward."

"Sounds like something Oliver would say."

"It is. I've learnt a lot from being around him these last couple of weeks. I mean what's the use of having friends who have the benefit of age if I can't learn something from them. I also know if he and the boys hadn't been around, the transition to a life in Star City would have been a lot more daunting."

"Yeah, the team has really embraced you with open arms."

"They're good people. And I like being included in the team activities. Oliver offered you a part on the team too..."

"I know…I'm just not ready to be part of it yet. Oliver seems to be taking good care of you," he said eyeing the Penthouse and the state of the art coffee machine in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I mean I feel like the biggest moocher, he won't even let me pay my mom's bills or give him rent."

"Not exactly what I meant." She raised her eyebrows.

"What did you mean Clark?" He went to open his mouth and then stopped. No he didn't think she needed to know about his chat with Oliver about keeping her out of harms way.

"Thanks for the sage advice. Seriously Chlo, I need you to know how much you mean to me."

"You mean a lot to me too. And you'll figure something out with Lana. You always have, even if it means a little heartbreak." She smiled back at him feeling a sense of freedom. In the past his statement would have kept her heart waiting for him just a little longer. But she had found since being away from him that she no longer felt those little tugs of yearning for him to see her as the girl of his dreams.

Dating Jimmy, even though she had ended it, had been a good experience. Being around Bart who adored her, boosted her personal self-esteem no end and she made sure he knew how much his little gestures meant to her. She was now confident that when the time came she had the capacity to be _in_ love with someone whose name was not Clark Kent and that her years of pining for Clark were behind her. Yep her heart did a little jig. Clark was her best friend, but no longer the love of her life.

"Come on, I think we've had enough Oprah for the morning. Let's grab some muffins and see my mom. Then I need to do some work." She grabbed his hand and headed out of the penthouse door.

-xxXxx-

Lewis had been turning up for work for the last 5 weeks. Truthfully he wasn't sure that he still had a job, however no one had told him not to turn up to work. Plus every now and then his boss liked to pop in, stir the pot and state his case. Not that anyone was listening to him, which was a shame. In his opinion Oliver had a good head for business and would have fought the lay-offs passionately.

So he wasn't all that surprised when Oliver strode in.

"Morning Lewis."

"Morning Oliver."

"Can you let me know when John Deleon arrives, I need to have a chat with him."

"Sure, anything else?"

"No, not at the moment, thanks."

He headed into his office and started his computer. He had a lot of trade and financial statements to get through. His instincts told him that he wasn't going to like what he found, but not knowing was driving him crazy. He hated being behind the game plan and in this case he was hoping there were enough moves left that he still had a chance to mount a defense against his opposition.

While he was looking into the financials the boys had various assignments. He hadn't really seen Chloe much over the last four weeks even though she was still staying with him. Between her starting a new job, visiting her mother and the teams out of town jaunt to take down another 33.1 there hadn't really been time.

He'd sent her an encrypted email giving the cliff's notes on the morning's activities knowing she would be beyond pissed if she got left out of the loop. She or the others would contact him if they found anything newsworthy.

Lewis's voice came over the intercom. "I've confirmed with John's secretary, he won't be in the office for the rest of the week. He's cancelled all his appointments."

Oliver couldn't help but let out a growl of frustration. Green Arrow's appearance may have spooked him, which meant there was a good chance that what ever was in play was being fast tracked. Getting his voice under control he replied, "Can you check if he's made a request for use of one of the corporate jets."

"Sure," came the response. There was nothing else he could do for now except get to work.

-xxXxx-

It was close to lunchtime when Chloe read Oliver's message and she shook her head. What a kick in the guts. That John might have ties to Lex Luthor was an unnerving thought. Then again while Lionel had mellowed out considerably with his status as Jor-El's emissary and Martha's companion, she wasn't sure that he could be completely ruled out from underhanded business dealings.

With everything that had happened since their last morning chat several weeks ago she hadn't been able to see how he was really doing. Their communication had been limited to the tasks at hand. She decided to put in a couple of hours research for both her bosses and then drop by his office with anything she found.

A couple of house later she was dumbstruck. No amounts of fiestas were going to make Ollie feel better after digesting this information; she grabbed her bag and headed towards Queen Industries. The second time she had visited and the occasion no more pleasant than the first time.

Chloe stepped out of the elevator absently playing with her mother's ring which she had started wearing, her heart solemn. With everything she knew about words, there really was no way to spin the information they had found in a positive light. Forcing a smile on her face, she looked at Lewis.

"Ms Sul…."

"It's fine, you can go straight in."

"Thank you."

"Oh and um good luck with everything." Chloe looked at him puzzled.

"I'm finishing up." He gave her a sad smile. Being unemployed again was not something he was looking forward to, even though Oliver had personally given him an incredibly generous exit payment that made him luckier than the rest of his colleagues who had gotten cut a couple of hours ago.

She empathized with the man. Not so many weeks ago that had been her on the receiving line of the "you no longer have a job" email. What else had happened during the course of the day that had gotten Lewis fired?

"Take care, then Lewis."

Squaring her shoulders and shaking off her 'gloomy' face she knocked quietly on the door that still said CEO.

"It's Chloe," she said pushing the door open. Oliver was standing at the window, hands in pockets, shoulders slumped, head bowed.

"Hey," she said softly expecting him to turn around. When he didn't she walked over to the window and placed her hand on his arm, feeling a jolt of electricity from the contact. If it had been any other day, that might have bought a quip from either of them.

He still wouldn't look at her. "Oliver," she said turning him around and peering up at him. Still nothing. Looking around the room she noticed financial statements strewn across the desk, many with big red question marks and circles on them. A good chance then that she wouldn't have to break the news to him.

"Oliver," she tried again…"Ollie." That got his attention. His hands moved to loosely hold her forearms. While they were in each other's personal space, which while it didn't happen a lot she couldn't say she was uncomfortable.

"Ollie," he repeated… "I like the way you make that sound sidekick," he murmured.

She smiled a little realizing that it was in fact the first time that she had used his nickname personally. Before she could say anything further there was commotion outside the room and the doors burst open.

Oliver snapped to attention as a guy pulled Chloe and him apart and laid a right hook into him before being grabbed by Sam Graham and a couple of security guards.

Oliver rubbed his jaw and looked at his attacker. It was one of the employee's that Emerson had fired from the accounting department, Mike…someone.

"You son of bitch," he said struggling against security, "you date my daughter behind my back, knock her up and then dump her to pick up with this piece of trash," wildly pointing to Chloe, several veins in his neck popping.

Oliver was speechless, those accusations were a first in his long career as a labeled womanizer and considering the day he'd had he just couldn't seem to find his voice at that moment for a suitable retort.

Chloe noted Ollie's dumfounded look and immediately came up with another explanation. She bet if she looked at the surveillance that they had on Nicholas Crane that the previously unidentified women he'd been practicing his bad pick up lines on was this man's daughter. Probably thought he would have a bit of fun on the side, while pretending to be Oliver Queen all those weeks ago. Bastard.

Before Oliver could demand the man be removed, Chloe's voice cut in and she got in front of the man's face.

"I don't know you so I going to let your comment about me slide. But… you do not get to come in here and accuse Ollie of something I know he didn't do. Now I realize your upset and that's understandable, but I guarantee you there's another explanation." He went to interject and she cut him off forcefully. "There's another explanation and it doesn't mean that your daughters lying…just that she was lied to."

Mike eyed the ring on her hand and demanded… "Who _are_ you to him?"

"Someone who can account for _all_ of Ollie's movements in the last several months. He's not the cad here…trust me and we can prove it." She pulled up the surveillance footage that AC had taken, during a time that Oliver had been in the office.

"That can't be."

"His name is Nicholas Crane, and he has been the cause of a lot of damage to Oliver's reputation. He is now being investigated by the Feds for Fraud and Theft."

Oliver looked at the group and Chloe in particular, one more emotion being added to the mix that he had been feeling up to that point in time.

"Oliver did you want to press charges," Sam asked.

He shook his head looking at Mike. "No not this time. And I am sorry about your daughter."

Sam motioned to the security guards. "Alright, Mike you will be escorted off the premises." Mike nodded his head and left the office without any further outbursts.

Chloe turned to face her current housemate. "You okay Ollie?"

Oliver had moved to stand beside Chloe his arm protectively around her. "My hero," he said pulling her in closer not caring that Sam was still in the room.

The use of Oliver's nickname hadn't gone unnoticed by Sam Graham, and he couldn't remember the last time Oliver had let a woman use it. She obviously meant a lot to him.

Reaching up to touch his jaw "You certainly attract drama, Queen. We should get some ice on that," she replied lightly.

Clearing his throat Sam spoke. "It would seem that I have perhaps misjudged you Oliver, why haven't you said anything in your defense?"

"I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Turns out that was the wrong move and it's going to cost me dearly."

"If you are willing to forgive an old man…"

Oliver looked at his mentor, somewhat grateful to have regained his support, but doubtful it was going to do any good in the boardroom considering what he'd been able to find out about John's and Nicholas's activities. Still Oliver took it for what it was.

"Hey, …even I had to do a double take. We're good."

Sam looked at Chloe.

"Chloe Sullivan, Sam Graham."

"Ms Sullivan, pleasure to meet you. I hope to see more of the both of you."

Watching him leave, Oliver turned to Chloe, the revelations of the day competing for his attention not to mention what ever bombshell's Chloe hadn't had the chance to tell him.

"Let gets outta here. I'm starving and I'll think better once I've eaten. Then we can exchange information which will more than likely have me wanting to drown myself in a bottle." He wasn't kidding about the bottle part.

Grabbing his hand and tugging him along she agreed. "Let's go then hero…and no one would blame you if you needed a drink… this whole thing with Deleon and Crane is right up there with the best plots by evil masterminds."

"That it is." He said as he turned off the lights to his office, possibly for the last time because at this point he had no idea how the game was going to play out.

**To be continued**

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><p>AN: <em>Hour <em>is intended to be this universes version of _60 minutes_ a respected current affairs program in several different countries. It seemed like the kind of environment that Chloe would thrive in.

Like it, Love it, Hate it: Leave me a review!


	4. Lady in Red

Thank you again to everyone on FF and LJ who left a review or message telling me how much you're enjoying this story and to those who added an Alert or Fav on the last Chapter.

Thanks to Hellzz-on-Earth for the beta, any mistakes are mine though.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Lady in Red<strong>

_I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight, I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing, And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away, I'll never will forget the way you look tonight, The lady in red – performed by Chris De Burgh_

_Star City, 12th September 2008_

He called it the Wall of Greed and it stared John Deleon. A blow up of John's picture in the centre of the wall had been used for target practice earlier in the day.

Turns out John Deleon had been fudging the books at Queen Industries for over seven years, pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars. He had however managed to loose the entire amount of his ill-gotten money and had been looking for a quick buck.

Enter Lex who thought he was being oh so cunning by forming an alliance with the CFO, paying a nine-figure sum for John's shares and to have Oliver removed as CEO. Step in Nicholas Crane to tarnish Oliver's reputation achieving that goal.

Nicholas pretending to be Oliver had also authorized the sale of various real-estate holdings including his parent's house, and accessed other assets worth hundreds of millions, the asset information all gathered off his personal computer that had been hacked.

The stuff with Nicholas had been going on for months prior to the incident at the Infinity Club and Oliver cursed himself repeatedly for letting Nick go that night in the warehouse. The guy had a lot to answer for, especially the paternity claim.

The upside was that Lex had gotten stung badly when John had skipped the country, the value of the shares he bought not even worth the piece of paper they were written on. Oliver estimated the cost of doing business with the rouge CFO meant he was now a good two years behind funding any 33.1 projects.

The downside was that whilst Queen Industries was limping along, thousands of employees were laid off with factories closed around the globe, the ripple effects to the other business partners and communities uncalculated at this point.

So yeah, he was still pissed as hell and felt responsible for the mess because it hadn't picked up on it sooner, especially because it had hurt so many people. Seven years!

Personally his wealth was a mere fraction of what it had been, and there were plenty of people who wanted a chunk of what was left.

"Hard day?" She asked noticing his slumped shoulders.

"Yep." He watched as she came and sat on the edge of his desk. "What are you doing home? I thought you had a date."

"_Coffee," _she emphasized "was a bust, he got called in to cover a shift."

"Sorry." He knew how excited she had been at being asked out by a tall, dark and brooding EMT.

"It happens." It had been flattering to be asked out, but she understood blowing off coffee dates to save the world. After the cancellation she had checked her alerts to make sure she wouldn't be disturbing anyone's sexy times. It was one of the hazards of living in a share house and the thought of walking in on or being walked in on any 'adult fun' was in the TMI category as far as she was concerned and she'd had enough of both while living with Lois.

"How about you, scare away the company?" she asked lightly.

"Very funny," he said flatly.

"You would think all your recent dart practice would have sweetened your disposition somewhat," she said looking at him mischievously then at the picture with the arrows sticking out. "Is after all supposed to be good for getting rid of excess tension."

"You..you…they" he said pointing to the arrows "are _not_ darts, but I get your point." He made an effort to relax his facial muscles and forced a little smile.

"Better," she said returning the smile. Everyone had been floored when they had realized the extent of John's treachery and she had been concerned how Oliver would cope.

Outwardly he been such a rock to everyone around him; reassuring the boys that nothing changed, offering his support to Emerson and Sam, talking to the people in Washington to secure a bailout package not to mention increasing his patrols because the citizens of Star City needed to be reminded that some one was watching over them. Not that _that_ seemed to earn Green Arrow any brownie points.

While she was getting better at reading his expressions, she couldn't quiet read it now. "You okay?"

If he were honest he would call himself on his own bullshit. He had thrown himself into keeping busy or keeping himself distracted with various women. All that stuff they had talked about… '_what's done is done, it's in the past, affecting the future_' blah blah didn't apply in this case. He felt so many things, anger, hatred, self-loathing, used, despair, all of them fighting for dominance and threatening to overwhelm at any time.

Under his 'old normal life', mediation and yoga would have cleared his mind and allowed him inner peace. Not so at the moment and running off to the Ashram would only add an extra layer of guilt to his already full roster of emotions.

So he was determined not let on that he was doing anything other than okay, especially not in front of Chloe. Her article in the Register exposing Nicholas Crane and John Deleon and the piece she had researched for _Hour_ on the growing trend of Identity fraud, had all indirectly defended him to the public and showed her belief in him as a good man. How he wished he had her strength. Any dignity he had left, she had played a big part in.

"I'm fine…really."

He was lying…she knew. But while their friendship had grown, he obviously didn't feel that he could share with her what ever was bothering him. Ever trying not to burden his friends with his concerns.

"You know I'm here for you right...anything you need."

The team was already looking for John and Nicholas and when they found them they would bring them in to face prosecution. Other than justice being served he honestly didn't know what else he needed to get through this.

He knew that being around her and the team's positive energy helped him believe that there were still people worth fighting for. They also gave him hope that he, Oliver Queen wasn't a complete disaster.

"I'll be fine…looking to the future and all that…" he said without much conviction as he settled his hands over her shoulders, drawing comfort from the physical contact with her. Maybe if he said it enough…it would be true.

She slid off the desk pulling him closer to her, her ear resting over his heart. It was all she could think of to do when things were so obviously not okay in his world.

Oliver was a little surprised at her move. While they were comfortable in each other's personal space, he couldn't remember the last time they had had a hug fest. If he'd known that she would feel so good in his arms he would've done it sooner. His body just totally relaxed against her, his self- disparaging thoughts dispersing through their touch as if somehow she was drawing them away. They stayed like that for quite awhile until Oliver realized it was time to head out on patrol.

"You can let go now, unless you want to kiss me better I'm good," he joked before wanting to slap himself for suggesting the last part. For a brief moment he panicked as she pulled his head towards hers and puckered her lips.

Placing a butterfly kiss on his dimple she laughed while letting him go "You'll have to find someone else if you want to get luckier than that!"

He was relieved that she at least was thinking straight, 'cause he wasn't prepared to cross any invisible lines that could cost him one of the best friends he ever had.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 22nd September 2008_

The rain was coming down hard and at such an angle as to hit the window pains, filling the Penthouse with dull musical tones.

It was no secret that Oliver's parade had been rained on frequently the last couple of months; however the clouds had been chased away by a certain blonde when they had threatened to completely engulf him. He closed his office door to block out the sound of bickering.

"Stop that," Bart said.

"You stop that," Victor replied.

"You cheated."

"I did not."

"Hey guys." Ah the sweet voice of reason.

"Licious! – He's cheating."

"Really', she smirked, "you know that you both cheat right," she said patting them both on the shoulder, leaving them to stare at each other. "Maybe you should play something else like Guess Who, harder to cheat."

She gently knocked on his office door and pushed it open.

Ever since he had held her almost two weeks ago here in this office, he had craved her presence, voice, and touch, anything she was willing to give really. The best part of his day was when she came home. He tried hard not to think about what that might mean.

She walked over to the desk to sit on it as had become habit. In a crazy messed up situation her friendship and loyalty had been a sliver lining. No wonder Clark had pouted for weeks after she'd left Metropolis. He'd be pouting too.

The cynic in him wondered how long it would be until he pushed her away for getting to close, or he screwed her over, either way destroying one of the best things in his life. The optimist in him frequently told the cynic to shut-the-hell up, because he wasn't going to do anything to change the status quo.

"Coffee date bust again?"

"Yeah. After five times I am going to take the hint that it's not meant to be…his loss. How 'bout you, any updates on John the Swindler and his helper?"

He couldn't help but notice the disappointment in her voice. But she was right, absolutely the guys loss. He couldn't help feel a little relieved that she wasn't going to pursue dating tall, dark and brooding.

"Not a ping heard about those two."

"Work?" she asked noticing the scattered papers.

"Yes and invitations," he said handing Chloe an envelope, looking at her puzzled face.

"Someone is economizing on postage," she commented opening it.

_Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan_

_are invited to_

_Sam Graham's 70th Birthday Celebration_

"I'm your plus one? I guess Sam still doesn't buy that there is nothing going on between us huh," she said lightly.

"Might have something to do with you standing in front of crazy guy to defend my honor, that he thinks I gave you this ring," he said holding up the hand sporting her mother's ring, "or the fact that you live here."

"Mmm when you put it like that I guess I can see why he might not believe us. But you should be allowed to take however you want. You can tell him that I am completely okay with whoever you take." Her large green orbs looking at him.

He had felt himself drifting off in those depths more than once of late.

She peered up at him and saw he was far way. "Ollie?"

His eyebrows knitted together at her attempt to palm him off to the next pair of legs that caught his fancy. The problem with Chloe's idea was he didn't want to take anyone else. Plus she was the reason that Sam had given him another chance and as much as he hated to admit it, Sam's good opinion mattered to him so going without her was also not an option.

"I think I'll decline."

She shrugged her shoulders. "You don't want to go to Sam's party cause that's completely fine too."

He shook his head. "No, I just think if I went with someone else, I'd be back in his bad books. He's kinda taken with you."

"So you want me to go with you or you won't go at all?" she asked.

"Would you?"

"I have no problems going with you if that's what you want. I just didn't mean for you to feel obligated into taking me because it's my name on the invitation."

"It's a date," he said smiling a little.

She ruffled his hair a little and rested her other hand on his chest. "All you had to do was ask. Sam is never going to believe that there isn't anything going on with us now."

"I'm not worried. The truth will be apparent to everyone sooner or later."

_-_xxXxx-

_Star City, 27th September 2008_

"What about this one," Moira said as she held up a deep purple dress for Chloe to look at.

"Ah…wow..no. It's not me."

This outing marked the first time they had gone shopping for clothes together …since well ever. And until that point they had had a similar eye.

"Really, it's totally your color."

"I like the color, just the gown is a little fussy." She said pointing to the beading and the layers.

Moira continued to look through the racks and pulling out another dress. "This one."

"That could work. Let me go try it on." Chloe immediately liked it. It was a simple red satin column halter neck floor length gown that had some detail around the waist and showed that she had some curves.

She emerged out of the dressing room and looked at her reflection. Yeah she could totally rock this dress. Some simple accessories and a pair of killer heels were all that she needed now.

"Oh can you take a photo… I want to send it Lois," she asked as she did a little runway walk and twirl for her mom.

Moira just beamed. Doing something so everyday like shopping for clothes with her daughter was not something that her future had held. But thanks to her daughter's gift, the everyday was going to be part of her future as was the extraordinary.

She had been given a second chance at life and the assurance that steps had been taken to protect her against people like Lex Luthor. Moira now wanted to be part of the real world and to help people.

She had been with Emil when the team had bought in several patients from the last 33.1 facility they had taken down a couple of weeks ago. They were of course terrified and she had been able to calm them down, which reassured her that her ability could be used for something good.

While she would be there for the team if they needed her she wanted to combine justice with her passion for helping people. Under the alias of Mary Jones she was now the Star City Police Departments newest recruit.

"Right, I have a dress," Chloe said as she linked arms with the older women. "Now Mom I want to introduce you to the most fabulous shoe store."

-xxXxx-

_Sam Graham's Birthday, Star City, 10th October 2008,_

Oliver made his way into the Hotel Ballroom. For the first time in weeks he felt a little like his old self. While he would have preferred to arrive with Chloe, she had arranged to meet him here.

She had been spending time with Clark and her mom the last few days and her absence had made him ornery. The boys had also been out of town on assignment, which had left him a lot of alone time to think and he had spent most of it thinking about her.

He was also looking forward to the Vegas escape after he realized this was the longest period of time since he was a teenager that he had actually stayed put in his hometown.

Scanning the room for her, he saw a lot of black penguin suites and black evening gowns. And when his eyes finally found her, he was captivated.

He had always noticed her, but he had never seen her looking so gorgeous; her hair was styled in soft waves the highlights looking like spun gold which caught the sparkle in her eyes. The red dress she was wearing was simple and highlighted her curves. And her person just radiated with happiness. She was by far the most beautiful woman in the room.

As he started to move towards her, she turned and saw him. Her smile taking his breathe away and she began to make her way towards him, putting her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek when they finally met in the middle.

Sam Graham interrupted before he could say anything. "Chloe, Oliver delighted to see the two of you together this evening."

Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes that the implication of his statement. But as Oliver had pointed out the evidence was against them. She was comfortable with what they were; housemates, Chloe/Ollie, best of friends. Although she was grateful that Oliver was no longer the bread and butter of the paparazzi, it meant that they could enjoy an evening out in public without being followed.

"Sam," Oliver said shaking his hand. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you and can I say I am ecstatic you agreed. It will be good to have you back onboard. Truthfully we should never have let you leave. We should have dinner again one night." Looking at both of them again he smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me I have other people I need to great but I hope you two kids have fun tonight."

Chloe watched Sam leave. "Back on board?"

"The board reinstated me as CEO."

She was so pleased that after a couple of horrible months things were looking up for him "Ollie… that's…that's good isn't it?" she asked trying to judge from his face if he was happy about it.

His lips curled into a smile. "Yeah it is, guess my holiday's over."

Her smile matched his. "If the last few months were your idea of a holiday why I am going to Vegas with you again?…."

"Because I do actually know how to show a girl a good time."

"Really. Ah well I think we should use tonight as a test run for that, because I can always change my mind."

He just grinned at her. "Come on, the dance floor has our name on it," he said holding out his hand.

She hesitated remembering the prom when Clark had bailed on her, or the tango with the skirt swooshing with Jimmy at the Ace of Clubs. Cute at the time but cringe worthy now. "I don't really do the couple dance routine," she hesitated.

He pulled her towards him and she went without protest. "It will be okay, I promise."

As soon as his arms were around her she had forgotten the reason why she had protested in the first place. He wasn't going to run off on her or embarrass her and for the first time in a long time she felt completely content and safe with her date.

The evening was pleasant and relaxed. Most of the guests were viewers of _Hour _and were well aware of the happenings at Queen Industries courtesy of the treacherous CFO. They were eager to talk to Chloe about her work and had nothing but praise for Oliver and the way he had handled his recent business challenges.

Chloe saw a flash of red hair motioned to Oliver and they headed towards the entrance.

"Mrs Kent!" Chloe said as she put her arms around her surrogate mother. "Lionel," she acknowledged.

"Chloe, Oliver what a pleasant surprise," Martha said smiling.

Pleasantries exchanged, Oliver was keenly aware of Chloe leaving as she excused herself to catch up with Martha. He motioned to Lionel heading out the balcony doors for some fresh air.

"Lionel Luthor, what brings you to Star City?"

"Sam invited me. I couldn't turn the invitation down and Martha was more than happy to accompany me. I must say I am surprised to see you here with Ms Sullivan. You two make quiet the couple; embattled businessman and spirited journalist, champions of weak, seekers of justice, and keepers of intergalactic secrets."

Oliver ignored the inference about their alter ego's, he wasn't surprised that Lionel knew really.

"So I've heard you've become quiet the philanthropist, using your wealth to help the underprivileged. Not very Luthor like."

"No need for the contempt Oliver, in fact I had hoped you would see me later this week to discuss a proposal that would be to your advantage."

"I doubt you have anything that I want."

"If you take the time to listen you'll find that I have a great deal of what you need."

"I doubt that but even if you did, I'm sure I couldn't afford to do business with you. You tend to have a lot hidden costs and all that."

"Speaking of costs I imagine it will be very difficult for you when the time comes to let your little league know how far you've fallen."

"They know what I know, so unless you know something that I don't…."

"You know the true measure of a man is how he treats his enemies; you've been known to do the right thing. I'm trying to give you the opportunity to keep the surrogate family you've created for yourself safe, Oliver."

"Are you threatening them?"

"No, its not me you need to worry about…there are others that are interested in what they can do especially your date. The rumor is she bought someone back from the dead. Imagine what that power would be worth to those willing to exploit it."

Oliver felt his heart speed up at the information. Chloe had been very coy about her ability. She and Mary had spent hours with Emil but she hadn't shared any more information with the rest of the class. He had no idea if that little tidbit was true.

"In your current position you lack the resources to keep Lex and other's like him in check or keep your league going for much longer."

"I'm not too worried about Lex, he got burnt pretty badly too."

"Let's just say he has an official government sponsor. I don't think _you_ have that option."

"Why would you bother to help me, help us?"

"Restitution."

He knew the man was turning over a new leaf. They'd even sat at the same dinner table at the Kent's for Thanksgiving one year, but there was just something about him that Oliver didn't trust. Oh yeah and his son was the Devil. Still Lionel had been a great ally to Clark and he trusted Martha to be smarter than that.

"I'll hear you out, beyond that no promises." Spotting Martha and Chloe he started to move back inside. "Enjoy the rest of your evening Lionel."

He swept past the ladies collecting Chloe and moved towards an empty space on the floor bringing her close to him their feet quickly finding a rhythm to the music. Any irritation he felt over his discussion with Lionel forgotten.

Her arms settled around his waist and it seemed natural to rest her head against his chest. "Ollie."

"Hmm."

"Can we go home soon, I'm tired?"

He kissed the side of her temple and closed his eyes for a moment. Having her in his arms was where he wanted to be and he wanted to savor it for a little longer. Forget whatever meteor ability she had, her super power was being able to soothe him and that wasn't something anybody had been able to do before.

"Sure, after we sing Happy Birthday," he murmured his eyes closed, the two of them swaying to the music.

From a corner, Sam watched them silently, grin on his face. He'd seen a lot in his time and the look on Oliver's face told him that he adored his blonde best friend. He had been willing to concede that they might not be an item _yet_ but proximity did breed attraction and he had high hopes for the two of them.

A while later after they had sung to the birthday boy and had a generous piece of cake, they stepped into the cool night air, Chloe huddling into Oliver seeking some additional warmth from his body.

She had begun to say something.

"Get down!" Oliver shouted and she felt him push her down, the pavement rushing up to meet her.

Then there was gunfire and screaming.

"No! Ollie !" she shrieked as he feel to the ground, the three patches of red on his chest getting bigger. She crawled closer to him and checked his pulse. His breathing was beginning to shallow out.

"Ollie, you are going to be okay." She said kissing his forehead, trying to shake the image of him being shot and stop herself from going into shock.

The gunfire had stopped and a number of people already had their phones out calling the police and ambulance.

"Chloe," he gasped.

"Shh, Shh you have to save your strength, you have to stay with me no matter what okay." She placed her hands over the wounds and tried to relax, focusing on the feelings she had in the dam when she healed Lois.

The commotion around her though was distracting her and she tried desperately to block out the background noise and focus on healing Ollie. She felt a rush of warmth and peace flow from her body and she could feel him breathing a little easier, his pulse a little more steady. But when she felt like she had nothing left she opened her eyes and could barley move the rest of her body. Ollie was still lying on the ground next to her, with three bullet holes, bleeding.

While it had felt like an eternity since he'd screamed at her to get down in reality it had been about 45 seconds. She could hear sirens in the background.

She willed herself to move applying more pressure to the wounds to stem the bleeding.

"I'm sorry Ollie, I'm so sorry, it didn't work," she said softly, fighting the compulsion to pass out.

"'Little bit, stay" he murmured.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She grabbed her headset and made a call. "Clark," she blurted "Ollie's been shot, I need you to get Emil…please, I can't loose him."

A distance away from all the commotion, sat a man talking on the phone, binoculars in hand.

"I would say that's a negative sir, Mr Queen is still lying on the ground showing no sign of movement and she doesn't appear to have done anything out of the ordinary. From her profile if she possessed such a gift she would have used it immediately, those wounds are critical."

**To be Continued**

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><p>AN: Hands up whose excited for Smallville Season 11 via the comics. Bryan Q Miller was an excellent scribe of all the characters on Smallville but I love how in an interview he stated "Chloe and Oliver are stronger than ever" six months after the events of the Finale.<p>

AN: A link to Chloe's dress to Sam's party is available on my profile page.


	5. Marchin On

**AN: **Thank you again to all who have left comments, alerted etc.

Kudos to Hellzz-on-Earth for the beta, but all mistakes are still mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Marchin' On<strong>

_For this dance we move with each other, There ain't no other step, Than one foot right in front of the other, Oh, There's so many wars we fought, There's so many things we're not, But with what we have, I promise you that, We're marchin on, We're marchin on – One Republic_

_Star City, 11th October 2008_

_Early morning, moments after calling Clark._

Her mind must be playing tricks on her because she could've sworn moments ago she was crouching over Ollie trying to stem the bleeding while waiting for help to arrive. She couldn't place where she was now, the surrounds not looking familiar at all.

Glancing down at her clothes she was still wearing her dress from the party and what must have been Oliver's coat because it was entirely too big for her. Holding her hands out in front of her she noticed they were stained a faint red color but otherwise clean.

Where was she and more importantly where was Ollie? Putting her hands in the coat pocket in the hopes of finding a phone or anything else that would help her, she came up empty. Thinking about what to do next she jumped a little when a hand rested gently on her shoulder.

"Chloe."

She turned around and smiled with relief, wrapping her arms around him. Pulling back she noticed that his shirt was open exposing his torso. "Ollie, you're okay," her fingers running lightly over his chest confirming what her eyes were telling her - that he was fine, her touch sending a tingling sensation through his body.

"I saw you get shot, you were bleeding, it was horrible," she said as she lent into him, comforted by the fact that he was standing in front of her. Maybe the whole thing had been a bad dream?

He held her in his arms, as he had not an hour ago while they were dancing, marveling at the situation they found themselves in.

"This didn't happen before with your mom?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"I am pretty sure you're a visitor to my mind palace." Proving that he was right the surroundings changed and they were standing on a secluded beach looking across a vast piece of ocean.

She looked at him eyes wide. "Like a Vulcan mind meld? No… this definitely hasn't happened before," she said her eyes darting around. Just another thing to add to what she didn't know about being meteor infected. Wanting to move away from that, she asked.

"Where are we and what's going on then?"

"I might tell you about where we are sometime but right now I really am lying on the pavement and I don't want you to join me there, so you need to leave," his hand motioning to the space around them.

"I'm fine," she said somewhat defensively starting to pull away from him. He held her a little tighter.

He sighed, half expecting that answer. "You are not fine." The moment she had put her hands on his wounds he had felt the flow of energy from her body. The sensation was like being wrapped in warm cocoon while all his cares and worries were drawn away and his body started to heal and then everything stopped.

He heard her call for help, place her hands back on him to stop the bleeding and it was when he realized that Chloe was probably in trouble because he could feel her frustration at her ability not working the way it had in the past and that she was getting weaker.

His wounds no longer felt fatal and for that he was grateful. But he needed her to stop because his fear was if she kept trying to give him something she didn't have she wouldn't be around when he opened his eyes for real, but everything hurt and he couldn't vocalize his concerns. Then in a twist she was there with him in his mind….somehow.

"I can feel it your not fine, your physical self is close to fainting. Please, you need to leave here and stop trying to heal me."

Successfully pulling away from him a little she looked up at him. He felt so _solid_ even though this environment apparently wasn't. Her fingers were now caressing him like a lover would but, her eyes were full of anguish and he felt terrible that he was the cause of her eyes being anything other than smiling.

He was now sure that he had lost a part of his heart to Chloe Sullivan weeks ago. She was the light in his life, the person he looked forward to seeing the most, his saving grace. He cupped her chin and titled her head upwards, his thumb caressing her jaw line.

Before her brain could register his intentions and before he could talk himself out of what he was doing, he pressed his lips ever so softly against hers in what was meant to be a chaste kiss. The feeling of his lips on hers while completely unexpected was not unwelcome and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to pull him closer giving into one of her fantasies running her fingers through his hair while she deepened the kiss until the lack of air dictated that the stop.

Holy lip lock! On some plane of existence Oliver Queen had kissed her and she'd kissed him back. And she enjoyed it. It was…it was, damn she was speechless and not a little bewildered. In that one move Oliver had gone from friend, sometime boss, housemate and guy with great abs, to well_..._

Foreheads now pressed together she wanted to say something, let him know that things didn't have to get weird... that they were still friends, that the kiss didn't have to mean anything. They could just chalk it up to a surreal experience based on the fact that they were both in emotional distress at the minute.

The trail of kisses he was leaving leading to the pulse point by her neck silenced those thoughts. Okay she was lying to herself. She wanted it to mean _something, or the beginning of something. _Startled at her revelation she heard him whispering in her ear "I don't want you to leave... but I need you to let me go Chloe, please."

If her physical condition wasn't critical he would have loved to explore this realm with her, to enjoy this _connection_ they had, maybe even to define what was revealed in that kiss. Still if he was wrong about his physical condition and he didn't make it back to the land of the living, at least the universe had given him this perfect moment.

She knew from the look in his eyes that his concern for her wellbeing was genuine his words echoing through her body. He didn't want her to leave. But ever a hero he would put someone else's needs above his own and right now she didn't have the heart to argue with him so she would try and do as he asked. She focused on finding the tether to her physical body so she could follow it back.

"I better see you breathing where you said you are or I will find a way to haunt you in your afterlife" she said kissing him again fervently. She didn't know who was more surprised, Oliver that she had kissed him again or herself that she felt brazen enough to kiss Oliver Queen...even if it wasn't in the real world.

When she opened her eyes she could feel herself being drawn back to her physical body, Oliver fading from her line of sight, the loss of his arms around her leaving her feeling momentarily empty until she felt the pavement under her knees. Opening her eyes in reality she saw the small rise of his chest and she sent a little murmur of thanks to the universe that he was still breathing.

She heard three voices calling her name at once, Clark, Emil and…her mom. Given Clark's expected response time it wouldn't have even been that long since she called him. Yet a whole lot had happened since she had called her best friend. But before she could ponder on it any further her vision became blurry and her head started to spin, a pair of arms catching her as she toppled backwards and then blacked out completely.

-xxXxx-

Victor held out a paper bag to Bart. "Figured you'd be hungry after all your running around."

Bart grinned. "Thanks man." The mission they were on in Russia aborted the moment Mary had called Bart. AC, Bart and Victor had arrived back in Star City shortly after Clark, and Victor had gotten to work trying to determine who shot Ollie.

The man just could not get a break in Vic's opinion. Things had finally started to turn around for him and this happened.

"Aquaman, Cyborg, and Impulse, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

They turned swiftly to see a middle age man of African-American appearance in a dark trench coat

"I am Detective John Jones, and a friend to Kal-El. I believe I can help you."

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 11th October 2008_

Bart couldn't help a self satisfied grin while looking at the three men on the floor that the SCPD were currently reading rights to. With all the resources at their disposal it hadn't been that hard to track down the crew suspected of shooting Ollie.

It had however turned out to be a little harder to subdue them… good thing the four of them had the upper hand in dishing out there own brand of surprises and the SCPD had provided 'back up' as requested by Detective Jones. Thinking of who, Bart was curious about a couple of things, its not like they really had a chance for a meet 'n' greet before they got started.

He thought about how to ask what he wanted to know toying with '_Ah amigo those are some seriously wicked abilities your packing_' and '_So what are you meta, meteor infected, hit by a bolt of lightening_?' neither of which was really a great conversation starter.

'Martian' Bart's eyes went wide as he looked at the man in front of him. He hadn't seen his mouth move.

'I am Martian' the voice said in his head. The guy was an awesome ventriloquist or telepath.

'Well I guess they got the little green part wrong ….' he thought in an half attempt at humor. Plus he had never met a telepath before and wasn't entirely sure that the man in front of him was one.

"In my natural form I am green, however I agree about the little part. I am taller than you. And one of my abilities is telepathy," John answered again without moving his mouth.

"Seriously," Bart replied vocally not knowing how to respond to that and watching the Martian's mouth curl upwards in a small smile. Motioning to the guys that were now being loaded into the back of a police van he asked, "so what happens to them now?"

"They will be taken back to the precinct and questioned," John replied.

"Do you think they'll talk?"

"I'd prefer it if they did, but I don't need them to in order to get the truth."

"Dude, I am so glad you are on our side…" Bart said as he watched the police van pull away.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 12th October 2008_

Clark wasn't that fond of hospitals. It generally meant that someone close to him was hurt and he had spent a good part of his youth by the beside of the person he had now been hovering over for hours listening to her heartbeat slowly getting stronger.

He hated that she was sooooo guarded about her ability, which he had no doubt was the reason she was in the state she was in. Truthfully if anyone would understand the process of terror, apprehension and then acceptance of an out-of-this world gift it would be him right? Yet she hadn't really talked to him much other than to express her fear of what it meant to be a member of the meteor infected community and that had been before Knox had tried to cut her heart out.

Yeah he was a little pissed at her for holding out on him. What was the point of being a best friend if your friend couldn't talk through life altering things? Then again he had noticed that she had formed a bond with Oliver. Maybe he had been replaced? He felt his heart constrict a little at that thought. Before he could think through what that might mean he noticed her heart rate accelerate and she bolted upright with a start.

"Ollie…" she cried in panic, looking around the room.

"Chloe you're okay," he said a little relieved and gave her a hug. She looked around the room a little disorientated.

"Ollie," she asked again her eyes pleading for an answer.

"Your mom is with him, he's stable. So what happened?"

"Ollie was shot," she said somewhat confused as to why he was asking her an obvious question.

Trying to convey his 'I am being patient look' at her he continued. "I know that, I meant to you. The last time you were out for this long with exhaustion you healed your mom, but this time….."

She looked at him with her big green eyes, barley registering his words, a sense of guilt washing over her that she couldn't spare Ollie the pain he was obviously going through.

"Yeah well its not like I have a button that says 'push one for healing bullet wounds' or that I know what's going to happen every time I try to use my ability," she said a little snappishly. She moved to get off the bed she had been on when she felt her vision blur.

"Chloe, I don't think you should be up, why don't you lie down while I see if Dr Hamilton is free," he said, disappointed that she didn't look like she was going to talk to him any time soon.

She nodded and lay back down images from the pervious couple of hours filing her head. She needed to see Ollie for herself and sat up again. When she didn't feel herself getting dizzy, she gingerly placed her feet on the ground.

"You know after the trauma you've been through no one would blame you if you took it easy."

She stilled at the voice.

"Lionel...what are you doing here?" she asked as calmly as possible.

"I wanted to see how you were both doing before Martha and I left the state."

He was close, and while things had been much better over the years since she had testified against him in court…there was something about being this close and alone to the man who had had his own turn at being the devil incarnate especially when she wasn't feeling on form.

"Well cat hasn't gotten my tongue, so I must be okay," she snarked back, mentally trying to prepare her defenses. Lionel moved closer so he was standing directly in front of her.

"Good, can't have one of my key research staff indisposed."

Chloe eyebrows raised a little. "Your key research staff?"

"Surely you did your homework on the company before you accepted your position with DC Media. If you did you would know that I own a controlling share of those stocks."

A sense of de-ja-vu hit her and her stomach dropped as she pieced together what that might mean.

"So what now you're here to pull in a favor, holding my job over my head. If I'm not mistaken we've already done this dance so I'll save you the trouble. I quit."

"So quick to give away a good thing just to spite me. After all, I am not sure in this current economic climate you'd be able to find a job so easily."

"That's not your concern."

"Oliver shares your sentiments mostly, however he was at least willing to hear me out. I had hoped to talk to him further about a proposition. Unfortunately with Friday's events that won't be possible. Which by the way you do need to be less sloppy. I think when the truth comes out, someone went through a lot of trouble to verify your rumored ability and chose somebody your close to get confirmation."

While she still felt guilty about the fact that Ollie was in Intensive Care, she realized now that if Oliver had of gotten up off the sidewalk without a scratch in front of all those witnesses it would have attracted unwanted attention. Lionel watched her face pale with all the implications of her actions.

"I think you've stated your point clear enough," she said coolly.

"Perhaps, but enough of that. I need to know Miss Sullivan, what are you willing to do to protect your hero's, to make sure there identities stay hidden and that you have enough money to fund your efforts?"

"I believe the better question would be, what wouldn't I do."

Lionel turned to leave. "I thought so. Take care Ms Sullivan and make sure Oliver listens to the doctor."

-xxXxx-

_Meanwhile elsewhere in the hospital_

Oliver had been in and out the last twenty-four hours and he had noticed that he was rarely left without company.

The last time he had been in hospital for any length of time, there had been no team or friends of any kind. It had been one of the most heart wrenchingly bitter and lonely experiences of his life. Not one person in his exhaustive list of contacts had felt the desire to enquire about his well-being or even send him a virtual get-well card. It had been one of the times his 'indifferent persona' had come in handy.

So while feeling alone was nothing new to Oliver, feeling like he was important to several someone's still was. A part of him kept waiting for them to realize that they could do better and that really he had nothing to offer them.

When he had first woke up, Bart had been at his bed side. While he had been a little disappointed that Chloe had not been the first person he saw, Bart was thing next best. Obviously trying to keep things light Bart had spent his time trying out 'pick up lines' some of which Oliver thought might actually work. Emil had banned him though until further notice for making his patient laugh, causing him to pop several stitches.

He second bout of wakefulness, he had heard Victor chatting to him about various sports and a couple of ideas he had for a proper WatchTower HQ. No one could ever say that Victor Stone didn't dream big. A space orbiter with teleportation capacity was his pitch. Victor mentioned he thought Ollie was too out of it to take much notice of what he was saying, but Oliver had heard every word.

The third time he had felt himself coming out of a medication induced fog a blonde head had been reading a magazine quietly in chair by his bed. For a moment his heart skipped a beat before a flush of color tinted his cheeks as he remember kissing her. Except it wasn't her that was sitting in the chair, it was her mom. He hadn't met many 'moms' in his life but he held Mary in the same esteem as he held Martha Kent.

Both were strong, driven women who looked after others and it had been his privilege to help them out when circumstances had presented themselves. He hoped she wouldn't give him any grief if Chloe and he took their friendship to the next level.

Mary and Detective John Jones of the SCPD had then spoken to him. Thinking he was pretty immune to bombshells at this point in his life, he had to figuratively eat his words when it was revealed that not only was _this_ Detective Jones aware of his alter ego, but that he was _another_ intergalactic traveler. Where had he been when Green Arrow needed an ally?

The good news was that they had charged someone for his shooting. The bad news being, he had ties to Lex and apparently the whole thing had been set up to test Chloe's rumored ability. The latter part suppressed from the confession.

He was now currently without company which gave him a chance to think about Chloe and him. Part of him wanted to kiss her into tomorrow amongst other things and the other part of him wanted to push his feelings aside for her own good. She wasn't safe and he couldn't protect her.

The door of his room opened, and he heard the soft footfalls of a female.

"Hey Ollie." Her voice sounding like music to his ears, her small hand placed in his.

He opened his eyes and gave her a small smile.

"Hey, come to make sure you don't need to haunt me in the afterlife…"

Her cheeks flushed a little, their last conversation was obviously real for him too. It was hard to explain exactly what happened while they were both on the pavement. Without having the chance to talk to Emil or even her mother, the only thing she could surmise was that she had been able to form a connection with Oliver that had allowed her to 'speak' to him. Maybe it was a mutation of her power. After all her mother could 'speak' to her and control her without being anywhere near her.

"Well it seems that you kept up your end of the deal, so I don't have to." She said quietly. Lionel's words came back to her. Oliver was here because someone had wanted to test her ability. It had made her both angry and fearful for her friend's life. What if they weren't satisfied with the outcome?

"Lionel came to see me just before. He seemed to think that you being shot was a ploy to get me to reveal my ability."

He nodded his head a little "Your mom and Detective Jones pretty much confirmed that Lex was behind that."

The last half hit her like a tone of bricks. Oliver was in hospital and in pain because of some sick ploy by Lex. All the guilt she felt for Oliver's condition, the anger that she felt at Lex for again interfering with her life and the fact that she was just plane tired caused tears to spill.

"Hey, no need to cry for me," he murmured squeezing her hand gently.

She bought his hand up to her cheek the tears splashing over him. "I'm sorry, so sorry, Ollie," she said feeling awful about the situation and then she smiled a little as she felt her energy leaving her body and a sense of peace enveloping them both.

Oliver blinked in surprise as he immediately felt his wounds healing and strength returning to his limbs. Then he felt alarm as he watched Chloe slowly turning blue. He was about to call for Emil when a faint tug made him put his ear towards her lips.

"Ollie," she murmured "Stay with me, while I sleep."

He gently picked her up and laid her out on the bed making sure that her clothing wasn't to restrictive, before laying down next to her. His arms were now holding her close to him. He was wrong before he was now pretty sure that he lost his whole heart to Chloe Sullivan and he didn't want to let her go – ever. Making sure that she was breathing he closed his eyes drifting off into the first deep sleep he had had since the whole John and Nicholas mess.

**To be Continued**

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><p>Coming in future Chapters:What Vegas has in store for our adorable blondes, Lionel's plan and the consequences. Some angst ahead!<p>

Thanks for reading.


	6. I am who I am

**AN: ****Thank you also to those who have reviewed and also alerted to the story...**

Thanks to Hellzz_on_Earth for the beta, however any mistakes are mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: I am what I am<strong>

_I am what I am, I am my own special creation. So come take a look, Give me the hook or the ovation. There's one life, and there's no return and no deposit; One life, so it's time to open up your closet. Life's not worth a damn 'til you can say,"Hey world, I am what I am!" – La Cage Folles_

_Star City, 12th October 2008_

Clark spotted Lionel heading out of the hospital wing as he headed back to Chloe's room. "Lionel. I didn't expect to see you here."

"I came to check on Ms Sullivan and Oliver."

"You could've just called me, I would have given you an update."

"I also had wanted to discuss some business with Oliver. However given his condition, I chose to speak to Ms Sullivan instead since she is his right hand."

"Since when?" he asked a little like a petulant child. Lionel raised his eyebrows.

"Now Clark there is no need to get your knickers in a twist. It's quiet obvious how close they are. Your mother approves by the way, thinks that they are 'adorable' together."

The scowl on Clark's face told Lionel that he thought it was anything but adorable. However Clark needed to get his head clear if he was ever to complete the training that Jor-El wanted him to do and now that Lana had gone to Paris he couldn't have him clinging to his best friend.

Yes they were all going to be furious at him when they put together the pieces of how much he had taken advantage of certain situations to his own ends. No doubt they would all miss the point that it was being done for the greater good and blame it on his last name. But to help Clark there was nothing that Lionel wasn't prepared to do and he really didn't have the time to dwell…._Tempus Fugit _and all that.

"When you are ready to leave here, we need to meet at the fortress. There's a lot we have to discuss, information you need to know to continue your journey to the man all your father's imagined you could be."

Clark nodded his head sullenly and turned to go back to see Chloe. Emil had been tied up with another patient and told him he would make his way to Chloe's room when he was free. Clark hadn't pressed the matter because the man looked exhausted.

"Chloe," Clark called when he realized the room he had left her in was empty. He listened for her heart beat, sure she couldn't have gone far. It was faint, fainter than it had been when he had left her. Walking as fast as he could without causing attention to himself he found himself outside of Oliver's room.

A flash of red stopped in front of him… "What's up stretch, want to go for a run?"

"No… I'm looking for Chloe."

Bart looked down dejectedly. "Ah 'licious, what a heart breaker."

"What does that mean?"

"See for yourself."

Opening the door ever so quietly, he peeked in not sure exactly what he would be seeing. Part of him was tempted to put his hands over his eyes before realizing he was being ridiculous.

The room was dimly lit, the window to the outside world letting in the moonlight. At first he just saw Oliver's silhouette, before he realized Chloe was safely nestled in his arms and they were both fast asleep.

For a man who had been shot he looked amazingly peaky and healthy, it was Chloe that looked a pale shade of death. Of course! She must have been able to heal him. That would explain why her heartbeat was so faint.

He backed out of the room quietly and shut the door to come face to face with Mary.

"Clark, come to check on Chloe?"

"She's sleeping," he said a little awkwardly.

"Yeah, it has been an exhausting day for her."

"Wouldn't she be more comfortable in her own bed."

"We'll move her later, but for right now I sense that leaving them together at the moment is the best thing to do. They've both been through a lot."

Looking at Bart, Victor, AC, John Jones and Mary, he realized that Chloe had a family here in Star City and that these people would take care of her. Then the truth hit him. This _was_ the time for him to start training. Chloe didn't need him anymore and he had no-one else to stay for.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just realized that I am going up North for a while and don't know when I'll be back. Can you tell Chloe that I said goodbye."

Mary pursed her lips together and nodded. "I could do that... but I think you owe it to both of you to tell her yourself, even if she can't quiet hear you. It would mean a lot to her that you did, especially if you can't stay until she wakes up."

He nodded and heading back towards the private room, Clark opened the door again and knelt down beside Chloe, feeling a little awkward for intruding on Oliver.

Pushing back her hair from her face he took a moment to look at her peaceful expression and was comforted that he wasn't leaving her alone.

"I'm sorry you're not awake for me to tell you this and its crapy timing, but it's time for me to go up North and I've come to say goodbye…You've been the greatest best friend anyone could ever want."

He looked at her for a moment longer before kissing her cheek. "Stay safe and be happy Chloe."

As he turned to leave, he heard the flutter of eyelids and saw Oliver had partially opened his eyes and was watching him.

"Boy Scout."

"Oliver."

"Don't let ice dad turn you into a Popsicle."

He left the room smiling a little. He didn't think anyone was good enough for his best friend, but he had to admit Oliver had been watching out for her from the get go. While it might take his full arsenal of tricks, if anyone else had a chance at keeping her out of trouble it would be the leader of the Justice League.

"Clark."

He turned towards Mary. "Thank you, you've been a wonderful friend to my daughter and to me," she said as she embraced him. "Take care and know that you will always have a place with us if you need it."

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 14th October, 2008_

The back of her eyes felt scratchy, her throat was dry, her muscles ached and she felt a little clammy. Thankfully though she was in a pair of sweats rather than the dress she had worn to the party.

Mary saw her stirring and moved to the side of the bed. "Hey sweetheart."

"Hi Mom. Wow how long was I out this time?" she asked sitting up gingerly.

"Close to 36 hours. I thought you would be more comfortable in your own bed than staying at the hospital. Those beds aren't really made for two."

She couldn't disagree with that statement although she blushed a little remembering that she had asked Oliver to stay and that he had.

"Good to see you awake," Mary said kissing her and handing her a bottle of water to which Chloe drank thankfully. "The boys were going just a bit crazy with worry."

She attempted to get out of bed but felt a little woozy, her stomach reminding her that she hadn't eaten since the dinner at Sam's birthday, which was hours ago. Her mom handed her a large tub of yogurt, which she eagerly consumed.

"Thanks mom, and thanks for getting me out of that dress. I assume that was you."

"Yes, although Bart promised to keep his eyes closed if I let him."

"We so need to find him a girlfriend," she murmured shaking her head.

"That won't stop him from wanting to flirt with you."

She smiled a little. "I guess not. How's Ollie. Did Clark stay?"

"Oliver's been going a little crazy being cooped up as you can imagine. Clark did say goodbye before he left."

"Goodbye? We don't say goodbye, it's always see you later or I'll call you."

"He was headed up North."

"Really…." She flopped back into her pillow. "I guess it was goodbye then, at least for now."

"True friends are never really parted you know."

"I know, I just wish I could have thanked him. We didn't really get a chance to talk at the hospital."

"Well it's a conversation I'm sure you can have with him when you see him again." Mary gave her a quick hug. "I'm glad you're back with us. I'm going to put in a couple of hours at work. Call me if you need anything or want to talk."

"I will…thanks again mom. I just need a shower to feel a little more human and I'll make my way down."

Stepping into the spray she quickly ended up sitting on the tiles allowing the warm water to soothe her protesting muscles. Much to her chagrin she noticed that she had several new scars on her torso the size of bullet holes.

One more thing to add to her list of things to think about in depth when she felt up to it. Right now though her stomach was still quiet empty and she was anxious to see Oliver herself.

Putting on a pair of jeans, a gold sweater and applied bronzer and lip-gloss to give her a bit of color before heading to the living area.

The dinning room was littered with tulips but void of any people. "Hello," she called and she gasped a little as a pair of muscular arms that could only belong to one person encircled her from behind.

"Ollie," she turned and threw her arms around him "you're okay." She had to admit the whole greeting felt a like de-ja-vu.

"Thanks to you. How are you doin'?" She was real and she was awake. Oliver almost wanted to pinch himself to make sure her wasn't dreaming. She pulled away before he could tighten his grip on her.

"Starving, please tell me you have food."

He laughed at that, choosing not to feel slighted by her withdrawal. "Of course," he said heading over to the kitchen ready to dish up. "What would you like? We have Chinese, Thai and Italian."

"All my favorites. Can I have a bit of everything…?"

"Sure, hope you don't mind the others will be back later it's just us right now." He needed to spend some time with her, just the two of them. If he had had it his way he wouldn't have left her side at all, however Mary had pointed out that he wasn't the only one who cared about her. Mary was right of course and in the past he would have said he didn't really have a problem sharing. Until now. He had developed this possessive streak when it came to Chloe in the last 48 hours.

Her voice was soft. "No I don't mind. I'm glad you made a full recovery".

"I know this girl, has a pretty amazing gift, I owe her my life." His lips brushing against her cheek, causing her stomach to flip-flop in nervous excitement.

Then the flood of emotions at seeing him crumple to the ground, trying to use her powers, finding out that Lex had orchestrated the situation to test her and what happened just after she had called Clark to get Emil, that she had been holding back until she could deal with them overwhelmed her unexpectedly.

"Chloe!" he caught her before she hit the floor. "Hey, maybe you shouldn't be out of bed."

"I'm sure I'll be fine once I have more food in me," she said using the edge of the table to steady herself before sitting down. She wasn't sure why she was feeling ten shades of crap more than the other two times.

They ate in relative silence, her color slowly returning but the way she was looking at him, he could see the wheels in her head turning. He waited a while after she finished eating before the look on her face had him on edge. "What's going on in your head," he asked gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

"Lots of things."

"Like."

"Clark leaving."

He nodded, they had been friends for almost a decade that he had actually gone would have some kind of impact on her. "And?"

"How being as close as we are put you in the firing line for Lex's scientific experiment."

The knee jerk reaction to feel guilty for not protecting those that you care about was not unfamiliar to him. What was unfamiliar was being the person to whom one was worried about. He hadn't had that in a long time.

"What happened on Friday night is all Lex and his sick twisted mind trying to exploit those around him. You have nothing to feel guilty about and I'm fine."

"But you could've died, and it would have been my fault for being on Lex's radar."

"Chloe, not to make light of happened, but you know that any number of people aside from Lex could have decided to take a shot at me for completely different reasons. Not everyone thinks the sun shines when I smile."

"I guess. I can't help but feel that everyone would be safer if I wasn't around."

"We can be more careful in the future, but we shouldn't deliberately distance ourselves because of what Lex might do, we are stronger if we all work together. What would you tell me if our scenario was reversed? "

She looked him in the eye and then away. "That we can't let him win. The Luthor's have already taken so much from us."

"What else are you thinking?"

"That I don't want to lose you."

"Good, cause I feel the same way." He moved and captured her lips with his. She started kissing him back and as he was about to deepen the kiss she pulled away abruptly, her eyes now conflicted.

His heart slammed into his chest confused about what was happening as she put some distance between them. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong? He edged towards her but resisted the urge to touch her, as he waited for her to respond.

Her breathing was shallow but she wanted to reassure him it wasn't him. "No. You didn't do anything wrong and for a couple of wonderful moments I got caught up in the idea of an us."

"Then what happened?" He could hear a million buts or an epiphany that she could do better than him coming and he steeled himself for the inevitable rejection.

"I _just_ realized I was being unfair to you. You're ready to jump in and see where this spark will take us. But there is so much going on with me that I can't be all in, at least at the moment. I'm sorry." She averted her eyes.

The sensation of hitting a pavement at 100 miles an hour didn't come and he felt most of the tension leave his body. "Hey. Look at me," he said gently.

He could work with her response. Yes she had things going on. Her ability had scared the crap out of him after hour eight of being almost comatose and from his understanding it was something she was still very dealing with. Not to mention her best friend had left. Plus there were probably things he didn't know about and he'd be some kind of bastard if he didn't give her the time to work it all out.

"You are the amazing one Chloe, you've kept me sane through some of my darkest hours and _you_ saved me. I don't know how things would have gone in my life if you hadn't been around. I've never had this kind of connection to anyone before, so thank you for being honest with me about how you're feeling." He bought her into his arms.

"For the record, I'm not asking for anything more than you can give. You get me and when I am with you it's like the best part of my day. Not to mention since Friday you have been the girl in my dreams."

She looked at him in surprise. Someone telling her that she was the woman of their dreams had been a fantasy since she was in high school. "Really?"

"Really. Cross my heart..."

She looked to him like she had made a further decision. "You know outside of crisis's that pop up, economic meltdowns and fighting evil megalomaniacs I don't really know you and I'd like to."

"I have no problem with that, but what does that mean exactly?"

"I'd like to date …get to know other facets of one another; movies, books… take things slow, allow us time to digest stuff before moving on to the next relationship milestones."

"And we're exclusive right?"

"Most definitely."

He bought her hand up to his lips. "I can work with that. Thank you for giving me a chance."

"_Thank you_ for being understanding."

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 23rd October 2008_

Chloe sat on the balcony as Oliver did some of his mediation poses _shirt on_, grateful at least that Oliver could venture outside in his natural form rather than in all kinds of ridiculous disguises. He still had to be careful not to appear in perfect health cause the last thing anyone wanted was for Lex to think his recovery was miraculous.

"Still enjoying the view?" he smirked.

"Of course, I love how the morning sun reflects off the water" she teased.

It was his birthday today and Chloe had been working with the others on several surprises for him. Even though they were still planning on going to Vegas he deserved something special.

-xxXxx-

_2:00pm Oliver's Penthouse_

Everyone had been ignoring him…well everyone that was important him. Work had seemed to have no problem getting in contact with him.

He couldn't believe that the team had taken him at his word that he didn't want any birthday wishes. Unless they were pulling the 'we'll ignore him during the day and have a party in the evening' type deal.

The more he thought about it the more he was sure that's what was going on and it would be just like Chloe. Thinking of her bought an immediate smile to his face. It had been almost two weeks since they had gotten together and he was enjoying the subtle changes in their relationship. Like curling up on the couch with her in his arms when they watched a movie, lunch dates or texting each other during the day with short messages that weren't work related. Right now in his personal life he was the happiest he had been since the first Christmas he could remember.

The elevator signaled someone's arrival and he concealed himself in the corner, hoping he would catch someone out. Sure enough, Chloe's mom Mary was carrying a large box with _Gourmet Bakery_ on it. Ha he was at least getting cake.

She cocked an eye in his direction "You can come out now Oliver and don't even think about pouting at being sprung."

He stepped out of the shadows and smiled. "So do I at least get to look at the cake."

"Not until after."

"After what?" As if to answer his question, Bart breezed in and he found himself being literally whisked away.

Not ten minutes later Oliver was hunched over trying not to loose the remaining contents of his stomach. Not the kind of surprise he was hoping for. "Sorry 'bout the motion sickness amigo," Bart said, his mouth full of food.

The taller blonde walked towards a window and was greeted by the sight of a harbor at night surrounded by buildings. He hadn't been here for business in a while but there was no mistaking the Two International Finance Centre building or the dazzling waterfront lit up in a myriad of colors.

"Someone want to tell me what the hell we are doing in Hong Kong!"

"Not me, we're just following orders." Bart gave him the comm link.

"Good Evening Arrow."

"Tower, why am I in Hong Kong?"

"There's a garment bag in closet, you might want to open it."

"Not going to tell me what's going on?" he asked as he made his way to the closet

"Trust me, you want to be a part of this."

He grabbed the bag and opened it, half expecting a rabbit outfit or something equally ridiculous. No way…..A dark green leather vest reinforced with a Kevlar weave, and black pants (not tights!) made of the same material.

"Suit up Arrow, your targets – Nicholas Crane and John Deleon. " The adrenaline kicked in immediately and she began to outline the plan for capture and returning them to the USA while he changed and checked the equipment.

_Hours later back at the Penthouse_

"I've always wanted to do that," laughed Bart

"Right on, his face was priceless," added Victor

"Pretty much describes the last couple of hours…." AC piped in.

"True that, neither of them looked to happy about being taken into custody," Chloe said.

"Yeah nuh, not feeling any pain for them after everything," Oliver replied tucking into his third piece of cake. "This is great cake. Thank you Mary and thank you everyone."

Chloe smiled and kissed him. "Happy Birthday Ollie."

He in turn pulled her closer to him, until she was almost sitting on his lap. "Stellar birthday if you ask me. A new suit, trick arrows, Robin Hood box set and two gift-wrapped villains. I don't know how were going to top that for your birthday."

"I don't know, you me, our friends and family could be rather eventful," she winked mischievously. "Doesn't something always happen in Vegas?"

-xxXxx-

_Metropolis – Lionel Luthor's Penthouse_

"Is everything as you wished Mr Luthor?"

Lionel finished reading the last page of the documents his attorney had drawn up

"Yes, everything appears to be in order. I of course will be in Las Vegas for the occasion."

"I have to ask again Mr Luthor you realize you will be disadvantaging your own heirs."

"I am what I am, and my children thrive on conflict."

He tapped the papers. "These are my wishes and should anything come up in the future you are entrusted to make sure that they are carried out to the letter."

**To Be Continued**

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><p>Next Chapter: Vegas and what Lionel's up to<p> 


	7. My Way

**AN**: Thank you to all who have been following this story, reviewed and alerted.

For those of you who thought things were going to happen in Vegas, you would be right but you are warned there is angst ahead (well my version of angst anyway).

The events in this chapter take place over 4 days and the chapter does jump around a bit mostly between POV's. Also I be interested in how many of you think Lionel is a Villain in this story.

Thanks to Hellzz_on_Earth who without the story would never have started. Any mistakes are all mine though. Also don't forget to feed the author, reviews help to keep the muse happy.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: My Way<strong>

_For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels, The record shows I took the blows and did it my way – Frank Sinatra_

_Star City, 3rd November 2008_

_Afternoon_

There were people shoving microphones in her face asking for a statement. She held her head high flanked by the boys acting as her body guards, determined not to show any sign of weakness, with Lois giving her the 'take no prisoners' look that would've made her daddy's drill sergeant proud.

"I have no further comments, please respect our privacy thank you" she said with the same firmness she had when dealing with incompetent people.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She refused to let tears fall, she wouldn't give _him,_ the person who had caused this mess, the satisfaction and she had no doubt she was being watched.

A weekend in Vegas with a few close friends for a joint birthday celebration, that was all it was supposed to be. While a hangover would have been reasonably foreseeable _this _wasn't. If she knew all those months ago when Ollie floated the idea that _this_ was going to happen she would have booked an assignment in Antarctica to hang out with the penguins and told him she wasn't available.

Not that _this_ was his fault, he was as much a victim as she was, maybe even more so.

-xxXxx-

_Las Vegas, 1st November 2008_

_Late-Afternoon_

Lois fumbled in her purse for her room key and pulled out Chloe's instead. Sneaky sneaky cousin, and sneaky Mrs Kent who hadn't been surprised in the least!

While she had come to Vegas for a joint birthday celebration she had been more than a little surprised at the other reason to celebrate. Not once in their many conversations had Chloe hinted that her life was moving in that direction.

Her cousin was an excellent secret keeper, she would grant her that. She groped along the walls until she came to Chloe's room. Not like she would be using it.

Bending down to pick up the day's paper she grinned at the front page, definitively a keeper for her scrapbook.

-xxXxx-

The first thing Oliver noticed when he woke was the way he smelt...it was a distinct scent that he'd long since associated with sex. He reached out to grab a cream lace thong and a size six Louboutin platform.

What the hell had happened last night? He and Chloe weren't there yet and he was certain he would remember if things had changed in the last 24 hours. But couldn't ignore the evidence that he had gotten lucky last night.

A feeling of dread started to slowly build in the pit of his stomach. Why couldn't he remember anything?

The room phone rang "Queen," he croaked.

"Sorry to bother you Mr Queen, but Mr Graham left a package for Mrs Queen and yourself…may we…" he hung up before the concierge could finish his sentence.

Sam was in Vegas? Left a package for Mrs Queen and him? That's when he saw the little circle of precious metal that shouldn't be where it was and he certainly didn't remember who had put it there…no No NO this was not happening.

He bolted for Chloe's room, forcing the crushing feeling in his chest down. He had obviously done something very very stupid or someone was playing an elaborate prank on him. Either way he needed to know she was okay even if she was never going to speak to him again.

He desperately wished he could remember something.

-xxXxx-

The smile on her face was wide, her body humming like never before and she wished she could remember what specifically had happened to make her feel like that so she could arrange to do it again. She hadn't felt this light or happy in a long time.

Yesterday had been a perfect carefree day when she hadn't worried about super villains, either of her jobs, or being meteor infected. They'd gone on a scenic helicopter ride out to the grand canyon, walked down the strip, and visited a couple of other landmarks before bumping into Lionel in the hotel lobby around 4:00 pm as they were going to get ready for a show that evening.

She couldn't remember anything else after that and in the back of her mind something told her that she should be worried.

"Lois," she said in surprise as her cousin stumbled through the door. She didn't remember her cousin arriving, although she had been invited for the birthday celebrations.

"Cuz, shouldn't you be getting hot n sweaty in the honeymoon suite?" she slurred a little and then collapsed on the floor causing Chloe to raise an eyebrow.

"Chloe?" she heard Ollie call from the doorway, before she could ask Lois what she meant by that statement.

"Hey what's wrong?" she asked as he took two strides into the room inspected her left hand, visibly upset.

No ring. "It wasn't you," he said dejectedly. The pessimist in him screamed '_you screw up.' _The feeling of dread rising to the surface making him feel physically sick as two other possible scenario's came to mind. Drugged or Drunk.

"It wasn't me what?" She was now officially confused.

How did he even go about explaining to his girlfriend that he'd had sex and probably gotten married in the last 24 hours to someone who obviously wasn't her. He wished the earth would just swallow him whole. He wasn't that guy anymore, the one who cheated on his girlfriends with the next pair of legs that came along and didn't really remember doing it. She had even defended him against an angry ex-employee and said she knew he wasn't the cad. Except apparently he was.

"Hey what ever it is, I'm sure it's not that bad" she said as she gently rubbed his arm in an effort to help him relax.

Normally her touch would soothe him, but he refused this time. "I think I screwed up big Chloe," he said quietly. How was he even breathing? He should've known sooner or later things were going to go wrong. They always did for him when it came to relationships. Even if it wasn't his fault, there would be nothing to ease his guilt that he had betrayed her and that by itself destroyed any chance of them staying together.

"Did you two have your first fight?" piped up Lois from the floor. She had a killer headache. She hadn't expected to run into another ex while in Vegas. AC had introduced her to Victor and Bart and they had gone out after the reception. That was 18 hours ago.

"Killer celebration by way both of you, although cuz you never explained to me why your dad wasn't here or why you let Lionel Luthor give you away at your wedding."

Chloe froze and the optimist in Oliver made a comeback.

"Excuse me?" Chloe asked.

"Your wedding, sunset last night in the Venus Garden. Lionel gave you away, I was the maid of honor," pointing to Chloe. "Bart was your best man" pointing to Oliver "and "Mrs Kent and Mr Graham sat in for your parents. It was beautiful."

His head hurt and the situation would obviously still be screwed _if_ they had married each other but then at least he wasn't a cheating bastard on top of it. He felt a little calmer than he had a few moments ago.

"Oh Lois that's….." she was about to say crazy, her eyes going wide as Oliver held up his left hand and wiggled his ring finger. She took his hand. Holy possible matrimony, Oliver had a ring on his finger meaning there could be some truth behind Lois's story.

She needed to talk to Ollie and her cousin obviously needed to rest.

"You know what, thanks cuz, Ollie and I are just going to go back to his…our room. Talk to you later," she said leading him out of the room. They needed to find out what happened to them last night.

Her mind went into overdrive, she did after all have an almost 24 hour hole in her memory. One thing she was sure of was that she wasn't ready for 'till death do us part.' She hadn't even turned 22 yet and things with Ollie were still newish so she couldn't see herself willingly saying, "I do."

Oliver was watching her face as she processed the information that they had possibly gotten married. She wasn't freaking out they way he expected her too, but that didn't mean she wasn't freaking out.

And while Oliver had concede that he had lost his heart to Chloe, and that he wanted a "them" with all the bells and whistles he didn't think she was ready to hear I love you. And he wasn't ready to be a husband yet. As his earlier freak out proved he still had some issues he needed to deal with.

He picked up the paper that was at his front door obviously missing it when he left. There on the front page was proof that what Lois was saying was true.

_They_ had gotten married last night. The picture was of a radiant bride and an adoring groom taken at sunset. The headline reading: Former Billionaire weds Respected Journalist: Love in Time of Adversity.

"Wow," they both said in unison. Could that really be them? The people looking back at them in the photo were the perfect poster couple. There was another picture of Lionel and Sam both kissing the bride.

Considering the hole in his memory started after they had run into Lionel, Lionel had to have done something to them shortly after they bumped into him in the lobby. The next paragraph in the paper only added weight to the assumption that Lionel had something to do with this sudden change in marital status.

_Following the evening nuptials of Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan-Queen it was confirmed that Lionel Luthor gave a very generous wedding gift to Ms Sullivan-Queen, including his remaining shares in LuthorCorp, Queen Industries and DC Media. Mr Luthor also gifted a large amount of residential property including the former Queen Mansion in Star City which had been sold earlier in the year. The total gift is estimated to be worth a low nine-figure sum._

The next hundred million dollar question was. Why?

Chloe surveyed the room, noting that a cream one-shoulder gown had been discarded behind the door. Oh. The implication of that particular word coming to her mind not lost on her. It was the dress she was wearing in the picture, it had obviously come off, along with her shoes, stockings, and underwear.

She could only conclude that the amazing way she had felt today had been because they _had_ gotten hot n sweaty – to use Lois's words. She felt sick to her stomach - that they had taken that step in their relationship before she thought she was ready.

"How are you doing with all of this," he asked gently, his earlier panic replaced with concern for her.

"Confused is a good start. I mean I just can't fathom what Lionel has to gain from playing his version of the Matchmaker. Yeah he was concerned about the league's identities staying secret and your financial situation," she said recalling his visit at the hospital. "But getting us to say I do and giving us all these things makes no sense to me." She was grasping at straws trying to find a logical reason why Lionel would do something like this.

"What about you, you were clearly upset when you came to my room?"

"Well I got a phone call that mentioned a package for Mrs Queen and then realized that I had a ring on my finger and you didn't. I thought...I thought that maybe I had cheated on you."

Her face softened a bit. "Turns out your Cinderella was me..see," she said putting on the platform shoe and trying to lighten the mood. None of this was his doing and he had been nothing but supportive of her decision to take things slow.

That the idea that he had cheated on her upset him touched her. It reinforced her belief that he was a good person and that he wouldn't willing do that to her.

"Chloe last night …did I hurt you?" he asked quietly.

She thought back to how her body had been humming not half an hour ago. "No. You took good care of me."

He saw her looking back at the photographs but couldn't make out her expression. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Everyone in those pictures looks so happy. I mean we look like we could give Ken and Barbie a run for their money with those smiles. Mrs Kent and Sam have that Mona Lisa thing going on, like they knew it all along. But I don't remember any of it. Do you?"

"Truthfully no, I've got nothing between seeing Lionel in the foyer and the phone call that woke me up."

She could feel herself getting teary. It wasn't like they had gotten drunk of their own accord and rocked up at Elvis's chapel. Lionel had deliberately set them up, and she was not okay with that.

He pulled her into his arms, grateful that she wasn't pulling away from him like he had the plague.

"I think we should return the gifts and talk to the Wedding Planner. Then we can figure out whereto from here."

She nodded her head in agreement her fist balling at the thought of being in a room with Lionel. The possibility of her holding back this time was zero.

-xxXxx-

_Las Vegas, 2nd November 2008_

_Mid-Morning_

They'd spent most of the last 18 hours going through a rather large file containing the details of Chloe's present courtesy of Lionel's lawyers. Lionel of course had left the state soon after the wedding. Coward.

The boys were still grinning about the fact that Arrow and WatchTower had gotten hitched and repeatedly congratulated them on a mission well planned. As far as they could tell all of their wedding guests were none the wiser about their personal drama and for right now they were going to leave it that way.

Chloe had however confessed to her mom, who had been miffed about not being in attendance. At least their plan to keep Mary's identity safe had worked.

Overall Oliver just wanted to hit something and the tension in the room was suffocating. This was quickly turning into one of the worst days this year and that was saying something.

"You're angry and upset, I completely get that."

"Do you because you seem to be towing the party line," he almost hissed.

Her palms smacked the edge of the table. "Lionel hasn't given us much choice Oliver." The use of his formal name, not lost on him.

"There's always a choice Chloe."

"The outcomes for those choices in this case are unacceptable."

"To who? So he out's me as the Green Arrow if we try to get out of this marriage and two hundred and fifty million dollars worth of stuff goes to Lex. But I would rather out myself and rot in a jail cell than dance to his tune."

"You don't mean that." The look of resolution on his face told her he did.

"You _know _what happened in Gotham when the people thought they had Batman in custody. You'd be opening yourself up as a target to every person or group the Green Arrow ever crossed. There wouldn't _be_ any of you left to rot in jail. You can't do that, the good you do is greater than whatever mess is happening in our personal lives…. I won't let you do that, not to yourself, the team and people at Queen Industries."

"So that's it then huh. Wow Lionel knows how to push your buttons. Dangle the opportunity for you to play martyr for a cause and you're willing to overlook his manipulation of the situation."

"That's not what I am doing and you know it."

"No I don't know that. What I see is a woman who has a price and who is willing to live a lie for the rest of her life because this," he said picking up their marriage certificate "is a lie."

"You think I'm happy that I had no say in the change in my last name. I'm not, but _we_ can work something out. I'm not the enemy here."

He sighed, he didn't like arguing with her and they had been going around in circles for hours, both of swaying between degrees of anger and helplessness.

He grabbed his things. It was time he hunted down Lionel to let him know exactly what he thought of his little plan to trap them both in marriage neither of them was ready for. "I'm not the enemy either Chlo."

"Wait, where are going?"

"To find Lionel."

"I'll…"

"Alone."

"Fine! Run away and leave me here!"

He slammed the door.

She threw the folder after him scattering dozens of pages over the width of the room. It wasn't fine. They weren't fine and she didn't know if they would be again. But she wasn't going to let him give up his other identity for the sake of getting a piece of paper dissolved.

Flopping down back into her chair she put her head in her hands. Damn if she didn't hate Lionel Luthor right now, he knew her so well.

-xxXxx-

_Metropolis, 3rd November 2008_

_Morning_

Oliver had spent most of last night trying to find a happy place. He failed miserably, although he had been able to work off some of his pent up aggression on patrol.

The man he wanted to see hadn't been that hard to find. Certainly didn't seem to hiding in anyway shape or form. Security had buzzed him right through.

"Lionel."

"Oliver," he said not bothering to turn around.

"Care to share with the rest of the class, how and why?"

"Straight to the point."

"You expected anything less."

" How – you don't need to know the pharmacological details. Why. Restitution. "

"Last time you used the word restitution we were talking about just finances."

"Well Lex's little stunt changed my original plans and I have to say this works out much better."

"For who?"

"You know for a man who now has access to more than 65% of Queen Industries shares not to mention a spot on the board of LuthorCorp, I would have thought you could see the benefits to being married to Ms Sullivan."

"Chloe's not a business transaction. What's the bottom line. What were you hoping to absolve yourself of that _this_ was your great plan."

"I've given you everything, Oliver. Saved you month's, even years of anxiety about the status of your relationship with Ms Sullivan or the end outcome. She already cares for you, won't leave you or abscond with your fortune. In fact I am positive she will share her new - found wealth with you. You now both have the means to keep your little club going indefinitely, not to mention the guardianship of Kryptonian library and artifacts. The bequest was done whilst I was of sound mind, Lex won't dare touch either of you for years. It's a win-win arrangement."

"Again, Why?"

"Because Lex needs someone to keep him in check and who better."

"Try again."

"Because I took something from you, that I can never give back."

Oliver blinked at that, he never would have expected that answer.

"What, did you take?"

"You have a second chance Oliver, to build up Queen Industries, to have a family who are home for you, to be a respected leader, you can take it or not. The choice is yours and while I don't expect you to be happy just yet, I think over time you can make the situation work in your favor.

"What. Did. You. Take?"

Lionel shifted to face him. "Not, what – who."

"Who?"

"I was a selfish -man, I wanted control over the traveler and I took care of anyone I thought would stop me from reaching that goal."

Suddenly he was a 9-year-old boy again, being told that there was an accident, that he would never see his parents again. He had wanted to scream at someone, anyone, to blame them for his loss but there had been no one at the time.

"You killed my parents." Oliver clenched his fists into a tight ball and let a right hook fly before grabbing Lionel's collar. "Any reason why I shouldn't throw you out the window right now?"

"You're not a killer Oliver, and as it says in the book of Job are my day's not numbered."

It all made sense now to Oliver. Restitution. In his own twisted way Lionel had tried to guarantee him a family to replace the one he had lost.

But nothing ever could… The death of his parents had had such a huge impact on defining the man he had become. And an arranged marriage, even to a woman whom he had feelings for was never going to make up for that loss.

Shoving the older man hard against the couch, Oliver got in his face. "When this life is over, I hope you go to hell."

"You still have a choice to make. Don't let your hatred for me destroy you. You can still have it all."

Lionel watched the young man leave. It was done now, he had tried to make things as right as he could – his way.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 3rd November 2008_

_Afternoon_

Chloe shut the door to her room, grateful for the peace and quiet that greeted her after dodging the press outside.

She hadn't heard from Ollie since he'd left her in Vegas and the longer he was away the more she despaired that maybe their friendship was irrevocably damaged.

A light thud on the balcony caused her to rush to the window but not before picking up a vase. Seeing who it was she quickly opened the door and threw herself into his arms.

"Ollie."

"Chloe." He breathed in her scent and just as they had many times before he found himself melting into her, his cares been drawn away. He'd come back to Star City his mind made up about what he felt he needed to do.

"I've missed you. I'm sorry about Vegas, that you thought I wasn't on your side, Ollie but I am."

Now that he was holding her and they'd had time to process what happened, she was sure that they could work the details out, because while neither of them would have wanted to get married this early in their relationship, it was the most beautiful lie she had ever told.

"I am sorry about Vegas too, the horrible things I said to you."

"It doesn't matter so much now. You're here and we've been good at rebounding from our setbacks. I don't want to loose you."

The knife in his heart just twisted a little deeper, he buried his face in her hair.

"I don't want to lose you either." But he just might anyway.

"Did you find Lionel?"

"I did."

"Did you get him to talk?"

"He wanted restitution."

"What?"

"He took my parents," he choked. "Vegas was his way to give back what he had taken." It was still raw which is why he needed to go through with his plan.

She pulled away from him a little her arms still around him as that piece of rationale tried to register in her brain.

"I care about you Chloe, but I can't do this, not right now."

"What are you saying?"

"I came to tell you I'm leaving." Her arms dropped and she looked up at him unshed tears in his eyes. "After everything...Lionel just... I need time away...too sort through what I'm feeling...maybe that makes me a coward..."

She shook her head a little, time was what she had essentially asked for weeks ago. After he had been so understanding of her needs how could she not at least pretend to return the favor. And that he had actually come to tell her in person spoke volumes to her. She could do this, be the supportive friend even though her heart was breaking.

"You're not a coward, you're a hero and don't you forget it. You've gone through more than most people would believe possible... Do you know where you're going?"

"There's an Ashram in India."

"Will you come back?"

"When I can."

"Okay," she said quietly. "Be safe."

"You too. I'm sorry," he said as he caressed her face. "Let the others take care of you once in while," then his lips captured hers in a tender kiss and then one, two, three, four he was gone before she even had a chance to change her mind, to be selfish and plead with him to stay, that they could work things out together. She didn't even try to stop the tears this time.

**To be Continued**


	8. Shake it Out

**THANK YOU **to everyone who is following this story, has left a review, alerted and faved!

Thanks to Hellzz-on-Earth for the pre-read, any mistakes are all mine though.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Shake it Out<strong>

_But I like to keep some things to myself, I like to keep my issues drawn, _

_It's always darkest before the dawn, Shake it Out, Shake it, Out Shake it Out, And its hard to dance with the devil on your back, So shake him off, oh woah- Florence and the Machine_

_Ashram India, 7__th__ November, 2008_

He paced in front of the piece of wood mounted in front of him, his inner turmoil in vast contrast to the serene surrounds and calm faces that greeted him.

This place in the mountains had been a refuge for him years before when he was beginning his journey as the Green Arrow, and he had left a more sure and focused man.

His former instructor had taken one look at him when he arrived and assigned him a string of the most physically exhaustive tasks, which had helped take the edge of his anger a little. But he still had more in common with a caged wild animal that had been tormented, than a person who had reached any level of enlightenment in the past.

He didn't want Chloe or the boys to see him like this as he tried to come to terms with Lionel's revelation about his parents. Or see the look of anguish in Chloe's eyes as he gave into his desires to drown himself in every kind of debauchery he could. Which is why he had left Star City.

He had told Chloe months ago that he accepted he couldn't change the past, only affect the future. But the reality that he could affect _anything_ had taken a beating in the last five months. Not to mention his immediate future had him in the role of husband courtesy of a man he loathed.

Husband_. That_ situation was so messed up he didn't even know where to start. He hated that anything and everything to do with _them_ from now on would have Lionel's shadow hovering in the background

He looked back at the piece of wood and shook his head. Not today, he wasn't focused enough and he needed his hand.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 8__th__ November 2008_

Bart had been more than a little shocked at Oliver's sudden disappearance after Vegas. He had been planning on sole occupancy of the Penthouse for at least a week before he moved out while the newly weds holed up on some isolated beach in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes he just didn't understand grown ups.

"How do you like your new apartment?" Chloe asked, quietly grateful he had stopped by.

"It's okay" he shrugged "it will take awhile for it to feel like home, you know."

Yeah she could relate. She was now by herself in the large penthouse apartment, living the lie that was 'Mrs Queen.' It no longer felt like home either, especially since her housemates had all gone.

But since she didn't feel it was her place to fill the others in on what had really happened in Vegas until she and Oliver had had a chance to work out what was going on, she hadn't been able to ask them to stay. She missed them all but especially Ollie.

Obviously either of them leaving wasn't something Lionel hadn't factored into his plan, otherwise she was sure that he would have put a caveat on that course of action as well.

"So when will bossman be home?"

"When he's wrapped business up, which hopefully will be soon" she said a little longingly. It wasn't a lie, but she hated that it was less than the truth.

"Ah, don't worry beautiful, I'm sure he can't say away from you to long."

"It feels like a long time already," she murmured under her breath. While she knew he was doing what he felt he needed to do she couldn't help but be a little anxious.

What if Oliver couldn't deal with his Lionel issues and he chose to stay away? Not that she would blame him. And while she knew he would never do anything to deliberately hurt her that didn't mean he was always going to make choices she was happy with.

She hadn't really had time to make her peace with Lionel's actions herself yet. Not only for the surprise wedding but also for making her his heiress. It implied that they had a close familiar bond, which couldn't be further from the truth. Still whatever anger she had paled in comparison to Oliver.

Lionel had been directly responsible for the death of his parents, and that loss had robbed him of so many experiences especially having someone be there for him during his formidable years.

No matter how badly things had gone for her while growing up she had always had someone. Her Dad, Clark, Mrs Kent, Pete, Lois. While she acknowledged she didn't always want them or need them they had been there for her. From what Oliver had shared with her he never felt he had anyone who wanted to be there for him during his teenage years.

Which was another reason she was peeved with a capital P with Lionel. If Oliver came back, he was likely to think she was still with him because she felt a strange sense of chivalry rather than _wanting_ to be with him.

"I could you know, take you to Ollie." Bart's voice breaking her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head. "That's sweet Bart and while I do miss him, I don't want to distract him from something that is important to the future."

Bart put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small smile, "thanks Bart, you're a good friend."

She needed to do better at keeping it together.

-xxXxx-

_Ashram India, 10th November 2008_

Heading out of the compound he stopped in front of th that had taunted him a few days earlier. He stood in front of it and summarized his current thoughts.

_His life_ - more hiccups in the last 5 months than he had had in the last 5 years.

_Lionel_ - the man responsible for ruthlessly altering the trajectory of his life on more than one occasion.

_Chloe_ – an amazing woman who had become such an important part of his life. His saving grace. The person who grounded him and made him want to be better.

_Choice_– He could stay and block out the world or he could return to Star City and face the music. He was leaning towards the later.

As he began focus his thoughts on the things that had made him happy; helping people, working with the team, Chloe's smile and the way he felt when she was near, he felt a greater sense of purpose and calm that hadn't been available to him when he had first arrived.

He commenced the breathing and movement patterns he had been taught years ago culminating in powering through the board sending splinters in all directions. He wasn't whole, but he wasn't broken anymore either.

-xxXxx-

She'd been getting phone calls all day wishing her 'Happy Birthday' and her work colleagues had given her a large bunch of flowers. No doubt they were imagining she would be having a swank dinner party with friends and family.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone was either out of town or working the late shift. To make matters worse she hadn't heard from Ollie and the dull ache in her abdomen refused to leave her.

She put the flowers on the bench and noticed a large rectangular box had arrived. It was marked to her attention but she couldn't remember ordering anything so large. Ripping the packaging away a gasp caught in the back of her throat. It was a framed wedding picture of them kissing in the Venus Garden at dusk. They looked so _happy_ and she wondered if that would ever be them in reality.

Curse Lionel seven ways to Sunday. It wasn't fair that she was alone tonight. If Vegas had gone the way _they_ had planned no doubt Ollie would be with her and she'd be having one of her best birthday celebrations ever.

The ringing of her phone bought her out of her thoughts. She didn't recognize the number but picked up anyway.

"Hello," she said in her best fake happy voice. There was a brief silence at the other end.

"Hi."

Her breath caught momentarily in the back of her throat. "Ollie…how are you, are you alright?"

"Just wanted to hear your voice and ask how your birthday was?"

"It just got better. You don't know how much it means to me that you called," she said genuinely.

"Least I could do. So are you going to tell me how your day was?"

"Lot of fire, not much cake."

"Don't tell me the boys tried to bake?" He chuckled a little.

She sniffed. "Not that kind of fire, just a lot of people who seem to be fascinated with my change in status and want to kiss my ass repeatedly amongst other things."

The line was silent and Chloe berated herself for bringing up the elephant that hung between them.

"I'm sorry Chloe," his voice quiet with a hint of guilt.

"It's not your fault, I'm sorry I bought it up."

"Don't be, I've always appreciated that you said what's on your mind." There were so many things they should talk about but today was about her.

"I have a present for you, I wanted to give it to you in person….but…"

"Oh." She hadn't been expecting anything else from him. The weekend in Vegas, sans anything to do with Lionel had been pretty amazing. "You didn't have to."

"I know, but I wanted to spoil" _my girlfriend was what he was going to say, but he caught himself_ "you." Nice save Queen. "It's in a green box in the bottom draw of my office."

She padded down the hallway. She hadn't been in his office since they had discussed Sam's birthday invite. That had been weeks ago…how things had changed.

She opened the draw and took the box out. On the front was a card with a beautiful watercolor of a floral garden – _Happy Birthday Chloe._

_"_The card is beautiful."

"Kind of serendipitous don't you think, that 'Chloe' means, lush, blooming and _Green." _He had found that little tidbit fascinating personally.

"Don't think my parents knew when they gave me the name I was going to be head cheerleader for _Jolly Green_. Good thing I like the color too," she replied, that unsettled feeling in her abdomen slowly dissipating the more they talked.

"Good. I have a much better chance of you liking what's inside the box then."

She lifted the lid off the box and pulled away the layer of tissue paper catching the sight of green leather. _Was he serious?_ She pulled the garment out of the box somewhat relieved it was a jacket. Her fingers caressing the leather noting how soft and supple it felt. It was the perfect shade of green for her.

"What's the verdict?"

She put the jacket on not surprised that it fit perfectly and looked in the mirror.

"I love it. Thank you Ollie." Her hands wrapped around herself imaging that Ollie was giving her one of his signature hugs.

"Happy Birthday, I'm sorry I couldn't celebrate with you."

"It's okay….really I understand why your not. I might have done same thing."

"Look after you okay….I need to go my cell's about to cut out…. I…"

"Ollie?" Silence. She hit the end call button, his cell must of cut out. It didn't matter, she had something now that she hadn't had an hour ago. Hope. Hope that they were going to be able to shake Lionel off and move forward with their lives.

Snuggling into the jacket she relished its warmth and the fact that it smelt faintly of him. She realized it had turned out to be a pretty good birthday after all.

Oliver ran his fingers through his hair and hurled the cell as far as he could throw it. Sometimes technology just cut out in the most inopportune times. Still at least now he knew that they had a chance.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 13th November 2008_

"Morning sweetheart, how are you feeling?" asked Mary as she watched her daughter emerge from her guest room.

"Little queasy actually."

Mary stopped and really looked at her daughter. Chloe hadn't been sleeping much and Mary knew that she was hell bent on appearing to be fine and putting on a front that all was well with being Mrs Queen, which it wasn't.

She put her hand on Chloe's forehead and for a brief moment it reminded Chloe of when she was younger causing her to smile a little.

"You don't have to do that mom I'm a big girl now."

"You may fight against corrupt businessman and aliens from out of space but I will always be your mother and you will always be my little girl," she said as she put a plate of pancakes in front of her. "I think you should have Emil do some blood work."

"Over react much."

"It's probably nothing more than stress, but it's been awhile since your last exam."

'_You're hot n you're cold, you're yes and you're no'_ Chloe pulled away from her mom and went looking for her phone.

"Hey Lo, how'd your date with Richard go?" she asked expecting to get the details from her cousin.

"Cuz, good but I'm not calling about that….Martha just got a call from the Metropolis PD. Lionel's dead."

"What! How?"

"My sources at the PD department haven't been able to confirm if he was pushed or not but he fell fifty stories from his office at LuthorCorp in the early hours of this morning."

A dozen feelings and thoughts hit her at once, ranging between relieved that he could no longer interfere with their lives and outrage that he had the audacity to leave this world before she had given him a piece of her mind.

"Cuz?"

"Still here. How's Mrs K?"

"Upset you know… I mean Mr K only died like 3 years ago and I while I think Lionel was beneath her, he was good to her." Chloe couldn't argue with that.

"Any news on Lex?"

"He's currently being questioned by the detectives. Anyways Martha has been put in charge of his affairs so we're headed to Metropolis for a memorial service. Being that the two of you were so close Martha was hoping you could come out too.

She hid her sharp intake of breath. Even her cousin believed that she and Lionel were tight. Seizing the opportunity for what it was she accepted. "Yeah I'll be there."

"See you tomorrow then, and maybe we'll have a chance for some girl talk and you can tell me about married life."

Chloe groaned inwardly at the details Lois would be expecting. "See you then."

Mary sighed. One of the biggest challenges she had was not to use her powers on Chloe. She desperately wanted to tell her daughter to relax, get some sleep, eat a proper meal and then deal with the challenges thrown at her. But one thing Mary had noticed was that Chloe had perfected the 'I'm fine' brush off.

She raised an eyebrow at her daughter and Chloe gave an explanation. "That was Lois, Lionel fell fifty storey's early this morning and died. Mrs K would like me in Metropolis."

"You don't have to go. Especially after everything that family has done to you."

"I'm not going for _him_. I'm going for Mrs K. I'd be the first to say that Lionel was a bastard, but he entrusted me with his library of all things otherworldly. Which keeps Clark's secret from being discovered by someone outside the circle. So while he might have had it coming, I'm grateful he showed some kind of loyalty to Clark." It didn't mean he was a good person but it was somewhat comforting that he had been prepared to make sure that he took Clark's secret to the grave.

Mary gave her daughter's hand a little squeeze. "You're right, but Chloe be careful you could be easily targeted because of your perceived relationship with him."

"You're such mom, mom." Her mother was looking at her with skepticism in her eyes. "I'll be fine. I should make the necessary arrangements and let some people know where I'm headed."

"Don't think I've forgotten about our earlier conversation either. I would feel better if you let Emil examine you before you go."

"Too busy. But if I still feel off when I get back I'll talk to him okay."

"Okay sweetheart, I'll see you when you get back." She kissed her on the cheek and watched her leave somewhat resigned that sometimes children had to learn things the hard way.

-xxXxx-

_Metropolis, 14th November 2008_

Chloe looked out the window over Metropolis allowing a moment of nostalgia as she spied the Daily Planet's orbiting globe.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had been a cub reporter in the basement looking for leads to bust open corruption and human rights violations. Now she was traveling via corporate jet, an heiress, respected journalist and wife to one Oliver Queen. On paper it looked like a fairytale. The real life story was a bit more twisted than that.

As the plane landed and came to a halt she prepared her mental battle armor. Stepping onto the stairs leading down to the tarmac once the door was open, the press and photographers started.

"Mrs Queen, over here." Being called that was so foreign to her.

"Mrs Queen, care to comment on how you are taking the death of your mentor and benefactor?"

"Mrs Queen what do you make of the accusations that Lex Luthor may have been responsible for his father's death?"

"Mrs Queen is it true that you were involved in a relationship with Mr Luthor as a teenager which is why he won the appeal to overturn his sentence on the murder charge for his parents?"

She stopped at that jibe, forcing herself to focus rather than bite that reporters head off.

"This is a difficult time for me. Please respect my privacy." She was grateful to the large dark sunglasses that hide her eyes and even more grateful when she got into her waiting car.

On arriving at LuthorCorp, Lois walked towards her giving her a big hug. "Cuz, who'd believe that a year ago we would be welcomed through those doors with open arms after all the times we tried to find dirt on the owners huh."

Chloe gave a smirk as Lois continued, "Oh see that guy over there, he sits on the board and he's banging that board member's husband."

"Lois!" I might have to attend those meetings. How am I supposed to pay attention to business if I have my head full gossip."

"Fine, I was just trying to lighten the mood," she maneuvered her cousin towards the corner of the room where Mrs Kent approached them.

"Chloe I'm so grateful that you came."

"Anything for you Mrs Kent," she said pulling the older woman into an embrace. Chloe frowned a little bit as she felt the depth of the sadness the other woman was feeling. Martha had genuinely cared for the older Luthor. "It's okay, we're here, and you are not alone."

Martha looked at the young woman with appreciation for several moments. "Thank you Chloe, you have no idea how much it means to me that you came. You and Lois are the only family I have now that Clark is doing what he is doing and Lionel is gone."

"I'm happy to be here for you."

"I appreciate it. Now are you okay, Chloe. You look a little pale."

"I'm fine Mrs Kent, really" – looking behind the senator she noticed that someone wanted to speak with her- "The mayor seems to want your attention. I'm fine I promise." She squeezed the other woman's arm and smiled as Martha walked away and felt a little dizzy grabbing Lois's arm.

"I need to sit down Lo."

"Sure thing. You know you really do look pale." They made their way to the chairs that had been put out for the service.

"I'll be fine." Chloe focused on her breathing. She felt a little drained, not unlike what she had felt when healing someone of a physical injury. She quietly cursed. She should've listened to her mother and gone to see Emil before she left.

After the service she made her way to the room had been set up for people to pay their respects. She looked at the portrait that had previously hung in the foyer of LuthorCorp. While not the same as a coffin with a dead body, it was good enough for her purposes. She hesitated momentarily before lighting a candle.

"You lived a very complicated life Lionel Luthor and I won't lie and say that we were in a good place when you left it." She said almost in a whisper.

"You got skillful at pretending you were a good man and I think you started to believe it yourself. But the truth is you've been playing puppet master with my life long before Vegas. My first job at the planet, getting my dad fired, trying to kill me, I could go on." She took a deep breath before continuing.

"As for Ollie and Vegas. I am not entirely sure how you thought that little exploit would end for us considering what happened after your last attempt at manipulating a marriage. I am still really angry with you for that, hadn't you done enough to the both of us already? It's going to be along time until I can forgive you, if I do at all. However I think deep down you knew that your death was a possibility so you wanted to square things away. I am grateful that you took our secrets to the grave and entrusted me with your library. I may loathe you right now, but I won't fail the people we were protecting. You have my word on that. So long Lionel."

Satisfied she had said everything she needed to she left the room looking for Lois and Mrs K.

A chill ran down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as a voice she hadn't heard in months was directed at her.

"Mrs Queen."

"Lex. You didn't need to sneak up behind me to say hello."

"If anyone is the sneaky one it's you Chloe. I knew my father and Mrs Kent were close but imagine my surprise to find out that he not only attended your wedding but gave you an obscenely large gift that now deprives his heirs of any significant inheritance."

She couldn't help it, her skin was crawling but she was determined not to let it show.

"You're hardly on the poverty line Lex and last I checked you had bought Lucas off for a tidy sum of ten million dollars."

"You know for all the snooping you done into my family I'm surprised that you haven't found my two other siblings…. I'd love to introduce you to my sister sometime. Perhaps you and your husband could join us for dinner one evening."

He had moved in close and his hand was on the small of her back and yet Chloe didn't seem to be able to move.

"Tess and Oliver have a _history_ and I know she would love to get in some face time with him. And well until I can convince you sell up, the Queens are practically in bed with Luthor Corp now."

"We will never be in bed with you Lex."

"Damn straight."

She must be hearing things because there was no way that Oliver was here. Was there? Her head turned and he gave her a quick smile.

"Now just because you couldn't hold on to any of your wives Lex, does not mean you should hold onto mine." He was here inches away from her. It was such a cliché, but he really was a sight for her sore eyes.

Lex released her immediately as Oliver pulled her to him and kissed her temple. "Sorry I couldn't be with you sooner." He turned his attention to his former schoolmate. "You know how it is Lex, business meetings, traffic congestion and corporate espionage."

"I wouldn't know anything about the latter Oliver. I must say I am surprised that you would set foot in this building," the bald man replied coldly.

"Well, you hardly have the monopoly on surprises, do you Lex. Now if you don't mind." He put his arm gently around Chloe guiding her away trying to gauge her reaction to him being back.

"Hey," he said gently. She bought her hand up caress his cheek welcoming the feel of his skin under her fingers.

"You came back."

"I told you I would."

"Are you staying awhile?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She took in his expression. Concern. Affection. Hope. Resolve. Her lips seeking his almost desperately wanting to show him how much his absence had affected her.

His arms of their own accord, wrapped around her as they stood getting reacquainted with one another. When they finally broke apart and her smile made his heart warm. The optimist in him told him they were going to be okay.

**To be Continued**


	9. November Rain

**AN**: Thank you to all those who added a fav or alert since the last time I posted. Also a big thank you to those who left reviews for the last chapter.

Special thanks to Hellzza_on_earth for the pre read. All mistakes are mine though.

Quick recap: Chloe lost her job at the Planet and moved to Star City. Oliver lost his business and got shot. Chloe healed him and they started dating. Lionel knowing his number was up, arranged a marriage between Oliver and Chloe seeking redemption for killing Oliver's parents. Oliver headed to India in an attempt to come to terms with that and returned in time to save Chloe from an uncomfortable conversation with Lex. They are now trying to figure out - where to from here.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: November Rain<strong>

_And when your fears subside and shadows still remain, oh yeah I know that you can love me when there's no one left to blame, So never mind the darkness we can still find a way, Nothin' lasts forever even cold November Rain. – Guns n Roses_

_Star City, 19th November 2008_

They were engaged in their normal morning ritual, she sipping coffee, he saluting the sun. It was routine, part of their lives before life had been turned upside down. Once they left the balcony Mr & Mrs Queen would be taking phone calls, and there were stories to write, lawyers to consult, a company to rebuild, research to be done and bad guys to take down. Right now though it was just them.

"Admiring the view?" She smiled at the familiar question, tempted to give him a sarcastic retort. Not today though. His self-worth had taken enough of a beating over the last couple of months.

"It looks mighty fine this morning Mr Queen," she said good-naturedly looking at him. Her reward was one of his dazzling smiles. He finished holding his final pose and made his way to the table picking up his towel.

"And what a beautiful morning it is," dropping a kiss to her lips. He paused and put the back of his hand on her forehead.

"You feeling okay, you're a little pale."

"I'm fine." She knew she wasn't a hundred percent but she had felt well enough to avoid a visit to Emil and there had been no repeats of her feeling drained when she was around people.

Oliver raised an eyebrow giving her a pointed look. "If you say your fine, okay. But my instincts tell me to call you on your story." One thing Oliver had learnt in his months of being a housemate, was that Chloe hated burdening people.

She changed tack, opting for honesty rather than dismissal. "It's probably just stress," she said taking a sip of her coffee.

He nodded his head…she had been through a lot in the last few weeks, certain that 99% of the stress she was referring to had to do with their arranged marriage, him taking off to India and Lionel's death.

They hadn't had a chance to really talk about what happened, what it meant for them and that made him feel guilty. That they cared about each other was never a question, that they could make a long-term relationship work; there really hadn't been time to find out if that was a reality.

Chloe looked at Oliver's face. He was guilt tripping himself again. She had seen him do it dozens of times the last few months over things he had no control over.

"Hey, sunshine none of that guilty pouting. We'll get through this. Like we have with every other unexpected event the last couple of months." Out of all the diabolical things Lionel could have done to them, legally binding them together was far from the worst. His worldly gifts to them had been most generous. She just wished he had included express passes to 'True Love' and 'Happily Ever After' with his gifts as well. Chloe had some ideas about how to get more time together so they could work on those objectives and she planned on trying one out tonight.

He sighed and smiled a little at her reassurance "Thanks for the get out of jail free card sidekick." She had been giving him a lot of those and he was just grateful that she hadn't shut him out.

The alarm signaled the end of their reprieve. "Come on we both have a busy day ahead."

-xxXxx-

It was 1:30 am and the Penthouse was pitch black, the sound of rain hitting the windows the only sound. Chloe was probably already asleep in her room, his teleconference with China going much later than he had hoped.

Heading towards his room he glanced at the portrait of them in Vegas that was tucked away in a corner. He had seen the wedding footage and it was surreal to say the least. Not for the first time he wondered how he had felt as he said _I love you_ during the ceremony or made love to Chloe in the comfort of their room. Both relationship milestones that they couldn't remember and were artificially induced by a drug.

He shook those thoughts out of his head, it was no use thinking about them. Lionel was right, Chloe would never leave him high and dry but he wasn't so sure that he was the best guy for her and he wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with him.

Starting to take his clothes off he made a mental list of things he wanted to ask Chloe in the morning starting with if she thought they could arrange lunch or dinner breaks together so they could start those discussions they hadn't gotten to yet.

He reached for his bedroom light "Mmm don't turn the light on."

"Arghhh" he squealed.

She giggled "I never knew you squealed like a Queen."

He looked at the mop of hair sticking out from under the covers, the natural light coming in from the window providing the illumination. "Chloe!" His voice clearly surprised.

"Someone else in your bed is a possibility?" she asked flatly.

"No."

"Glad we got that sorted, then."

She shifted until she was sitting up wearing an amused expression. "So, are you coming to bed? I'm not here to take advantage of you if that's what you're worried about."

He stood there for a couple of seconds completely at a loss – real smooth Queen.

Stripping down to his boxer briefs he settled into his side of the bed. "Okay, what's up now that you've got me where you want me?" he asked, not sure what the agenda was if she wasn't intending on taking advantage of him this late.

She moved back down into the bed lying on her side facing him, the sudden proximity of a mostly naked Oliver in bed with her making her second-guess the wisdom of her not intending to take advantage of him. _Stop drooling Chloe_ _and focus, you came here to talk. _Yeah they had enough to deal with let alone raging hormones.

"I've missed being around you, talking to you. Everyone wants a piece of us and we don't get to start conversations let alone finish them."

"Yeah I know what you mean, I was thinking the same thing."

"So I thought pillow talk."

She immediately felt a shift in the bed as he rolled over and whispered in her ear. She figured she'd set herself up for his response but at 2:00 am it stuck her as funny and she let out a merry laugh. He noted the musical quality in her voice, a small smile crossing his face that he'd been able to add some levity to the situation. It had been awhile since he had heard her laugh like that.

They lay in silence a few moments after she stopped laughing. "Seriously Ollie, if this arrangement is going to make you uncomfortable I can go," she said softly.

He grabbed her hand as she started to leave. "No, this is actually…. nice…coming home to you and a warm bed, even if it's just to talk."

"Okay." She moved closer to him and bought up a fairly ordinary question. "So how's being back at work?"

"Good. Thankfully things didn't implode too badly while I was away." Emerson hadn't been happy with him that he had been gone when they were in a critical rebuilding phase, but had gotten over it after Sam had stepped up to cover the gap. Taking the opportunity she had presented he bought up something he had wanted to talk to her about.

"I do need to meet with the new majority shareholder though. See if our visions are in line," he said referring to her fresh status as a business owner in her own right.

"I'm sure she won't give you any trouble."

"I know, but I don't want her to agree to everything just because I said so."

"Oliver you are the heart and soul of the company. I trust that you will use your judgment to make decisions that are in the best interests of as many people as possible."

"That's what I mean Chloe, you giving me a blanket go-ahead to do what I want."

"I know those share-certificates in my name are non-transferable to you. But for all intents and purposes you control the majority of the voting stock. I would never question your judgment when it comes to the company."

"Can I be honest?"

"Always."

"Lionel gave everything to you for a reason, it's yours not mine and if it was mine I would likely burn the papers over his grave and walk away, rather than accept his charity."

His reaction wasn't totally unexpected. She had been struggling a little herself with the idea of being Lionel's heiress and the implications both real and perceived that came with that.

"I can understand wanting nothing to do with his money. There is this perception that because he gave me most of his wealth that we were close, which isn't how I see it. Or sometimes I think maybe I did sell myself out, but at the same time I'd prefer to control it over Lex who would likely use it to fund things that I am diametrically opposed to." She paused a little.

"I don't know that we have to decide anything right now…it's late, but I am open to ideas on what to do with the Luthor legacy, if you don't want it in the family so to speak, provided it benefits someone in need. Burning it doesn't really benefit anyone."

"You would really give all your millions away?"

"Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of having more than enough to help people. But what I want more is for us to be able to get past this shadow, to find our feet and not feel bound to something we had no control over."

"Ditto. You're one in a billion Chloe Sullivan." He caressed her back and she snuggled into him of her own accord, her breathing telling him that she was drifting off to sleep.

"Sweet Dreams," he whispered.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 23rd November 2008_

Chloe was cold, wet and hungry and she couldn't remember if they had anything left in the fridge that she could heat up.

"Hey, there you are," he came over to greet her. It had been there second weekend together. "Enjoy your walk?"

She jumped a little at the warmth of his hand and the genuine smile. They had made great progress in the last couple of days. They had sorted out a lot of their business empire and their strategy to keep LuthorCorp in line. Oliver had also been candid about his experience on the Island she had caught a glimpse of during their mind meld, how he knew Tess and how he had ended up at the Ashram the first time.

She was grateful he had felt comfortable enough to share those experiences with her. But him being able to open up had made her increasingly frustrated about her inability to share what had really stopped her from being all in from the beginning when she had asked to go slow.

She'd also had to have a serious talk to herself, because the last few nights she had wanted more of him than she was currently getting. It was like her body remembered what it felt like to have him worship her even if her brain didn't. Also if she was brutally honest, he was it for her. Lionel had made sure of that.

Which is why she had gone for a very long walk to burn off her pent up energy and it had started to rain on her way back.

"You're so warm" her hands slipping under his shirt, causing him to shiver.

"Not hard to do when your hands are like icicles sidekick. Why don't you take a hot shower, I'll make you something to eat, then I can show you what I've done since you've been out."

She didn't move from her spot, her fingertips exploring the planes of his chest trying to rationalize her actions. Talking to herself hadn't helped, neither had the walk. If anything having him this close to her crumbled any resolve she had left not to start something she hoped they finished.

Then she was moving them both towards the nearby stairs, positioning herself on the first rung before kissing him fervently, her hands moving suggestively to tug on his pants. A small moan escaped her throat as she felt her extremities tingle in anticipation.

"Too many clothes" she murmured. His lower brain completely agreed with her.

Part of him wanted to protest that it was to soon for them, but truthfully he couldn't stop thinking about her.

"What are we doing?" he asked breathlessly wanting confirmation that this is what she wanted.

Her lips caressed the nape of his neck, her body already feeling the fire his touch bought. "I want to know" she panted in between her kisses.

"Know what?"

She looked at him, his face now between her hands. "I want to know what it feels like to make love to you and I want to be able to remember this time."

Nodding his head, he mouthed "me too" before taking charge kissing her deeply and carrying her to their room.

Hours later he gently brushed aside a stray strand of hair from her face as he watched her sleep…his Chloe, his wife, feeling compelled to voice his thoughts even though she wouldn't hear it.

"I never thought I would find anyone who would want to be with me, Oliver Queen, for richer, for poorer, and all that stuff. Yet here you are, through impostors, company restructures, shootings and an arranged marriage to boot. I truly believe I'm not alone anymore. I'm yours, however you want me and I promise I will do everything I can to make sure you never regret that I am the man you are stuck with until death do us part."

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 27th November 2012_

She downed the tablets hoping it would stave off the cold or flu or whatever it was that had caused her to throw up that morning. Oliver had been hovering and had been okay with caning Thanksgiving if she wasn't well enough. But she had most definitely wanted to go ahead with the luncheon.

So far the thanksgiving festivities had been going great. Mary had decided to let Lois in on her identity and Chloe had supported that whole-heartedly. One less secret to keep from her cousin who thought that secrets were just a loophole in the 'I shall not lie' clause. Ironic now she had one to keep and she understood the reason.

"Alright cuz. What's going on?"

"Lois!" she said somewhat startled. Trust Lois to track her down in her little nook. "Nothing I'm fine."

Lois turned Chloe so that she saw her face.

"Tell me another one, you haven't had a drink, you said no to Mrs K's pie, and you constantly look like your going to barff. Are you pregnant? Is that why the wedding was so out of the blue… I'm going to be an Aunt….squee." Lois bear hugging her. "Don't worry I won't say anything…"

Chloe paled at Lois's assumption. Shit there was no way...except _oh shit._ OH SHIT.

"Lois" she said firmly. "I don't _know_ that I am pregnant, in fact until you opened your mouth the idea that I could be hadn't occurred to me."

"Seriously…it didn't occur to you? The two of you have probably been going at it like bunnies and unless you've got back up for your back up its going to be a very real possibility for the next 20 or so years." Chloe gritted her teeth, she did not need a talk from Lois. Right now, she wanted a pregnancy test. But wanting was not getting, not right now at least.

She moved over to where Oliver was and whispered something in his ear and then made the rounds of the rest of the guests. She knew her mother knew something was wrong, but Mary just looked at her knowingly.

-xxXxx-

It was almost midnight when the guests had gone to their rooms and he made his way to theirs. Chloe had begged off in the early evening. He hoped that she was feeling better. He opened the bedroom door. She was sitting in one of the chairs by the window.

"Chloe." She turned, her eyes almost vacant.

"Oh..hi."

He came to sit beside her. "Are you not feeling any better."

"No." She almost sobbed. He caught the change in her breath like she had been crying.

"Have you been crying." She nodded.

"Are you in pain?" She shook her head.

"Have I done something to upset you?" She shook her head.

"Someone else then?" Again she shook her head

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" She shrugged her shoulders her eyes welling up with tears. And then she couldn't hold it in. She cried into his shoulder for all her fears and frustrations and he just held her, not wanting to push her into telling him what was wrong or to soothe her by telling her everything would be alright, because that could end up being an empty promise.

Of course Oliver wanted to know what happened, so he could either fix it or hurt someone for making her cry, he didn't like his wife crying. After she calmed down a little he handed her a couple of tissues.

"Are you going to talk to me?" She nodded her head.

"First I'm just going to wash my face okay" she placed a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth "thank you."

Looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she briefly berated herself for losing it in front of her husband. Shit. Husband. She was married. They could be having a baby. Whatever progress they had made felt like a lie all of sudden. She wasn't ready to be a mother. Wife, wife she could manage even though that 'title' was a decade too early in her opinion.

She came and sat back down next to him composing herself so she could articulate what was bothering her.

"Lois asked me something today that I hadn't thought of, and it reminded me that I haven't properly dealt with a lot of my personal issues." He bought his fingers up to her lips.

"Chloe you only have to tell me if you're ready to tell me." She grabbed his hand a gently placed a kiss on the back of it.

"We've come so far, and I've been wanting to tell you for a while now. I know you tell me that I am the strongest person you know, but I have my own set of fears. They are based on what happened when I was younger."

And so she told him how her mother leaving to protect her and her dad because she couldn't control her meteor ability had defined the lives of the Sullivan's for the next 10 or so years. Then she shared with him her own fears about being meteor infected. That one- day she too could be catatonic or worse hurt him or their friends. She then guided his fingers to the corresponding spots on her body where he had been shot.

"These are the scars from when I healed you."

"Chloe I would…."

"Shhhh…I know you would never have wanted me to do that if you had known and they will fade completely eventually. At least the scar from Lois's wound is gone." He was a little speechless, she took on people's injuries, had the scars to prove it. He hadn't known that. He thought the scars had just been another teenage incident.

"But that's another thing… I have these amazing gifts. What if something in my DNA can cure all disease or give people another chance with loved ones they thought were lost."

He found his voice. "Amazing gifts yes professor, but killer side effects. Do you have any idea how we all felt after you healed me at the hospital. We didn't know if you just sleeping and your mom kept trying to reassure us that you'd be okay, but we didn't know."

"I know. All this stuff is what I meant when I told you there was a lot going on with me. I didn't want to put either of us in a situation where we became more attached than we were in case I had to leave. You'd already gone through so much. Then you told me how sexy you found me. So I thought by going slow I would have time to find answers to my questions and get know who Oliver Queen was without any of his masks."

"Lionel really screwed that up didn't he."

"Yeah because I wanted to be able to tell you this and have some answers before I did. I don't have any answers. "

"I would do anything for you, you know that right? Doctors, labs, yoga instructor whatever you feel you need to get those answers, it's yours."

"I would do anything for you too."

"You've proven that time and again."

"Okay, I need you to keep an open mind about what I am going to tell you next and not freak out or run away."

His mind was churning through what she could possible tell him to put that caveat on him. "Nothing you say is going to make me run way. You and me we are in it for the long haul." He said firmly.

He saw a flicker of distrust before she continued. "You know how I been a little sick lately."

"Yeah" he said slowly.

"Lois asked me if I was pregnant and well I have some of the classic symptoms. I'm tired, having trouble keeping my food down and I'm late. And since we've been careful, Vegas came to mind."

"We're having a baby!" A dozen thoughts crossed his mind at once the one at the forefront was Lionel saying he had a second chance for a family that was home for him. Looking at the women in front of him though, he didn't know how she would cope with that, they were still trying to get themselves sorted.

"I don't know…I was kind of hoping you'd be around in the morning so we can find out together."

He stood up and engulfed her in a bear hug. "What ever you need." His hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. "How do you feel about the possibility of a baby?"

"All kinds of freaked out and it bought up all my fears about being meteor infected, ending up catatonic. And what if I pass on some freak genetic mutation that would make everyone's life miserable. Then I thought you might take off again back to India and I… I couldn't deal with that."

His heart felt like it was going to break. He knew that she understood why he had done that after Vegas. But he hadn't considered that it would cause her to doubt him in the future. Obviously he had been doing a shitty job of showing her how much she meant to him and that he had her back.

"Me leaving you in the lurch again like that, it's never going to happen. I've got you, no matter what happens and I'll do everything I can to prove that to you. I love you."

**To be Continued**


	10. Halo

**AN**: Wow thank you to those who added an alert or fav since my last post. That still blows me away. To those who have left a review or nine along the way, thank you.

After finishing Chapter 9 I found myself in a bit of a dilemma on how to best progress the story so I get to that 'happy place' hinted at in the prologue 5 years in the future. My muse and I debated, drafted, deleted and restored many times. Hopefully I've made a good call :-p

Thanks to Hellzz_on_Earth for the pre-read, any mistakes are all mine though.

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Halo<strong>

_Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace_, _Baby I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace_, _You're everything I need and more, it's written all over your face_, _Baby I can feel your halo – Beyonce_

_Star City, 5th December 2008_

The red Volkswagen soft-top convertible had been a sentimental purchase and was a call back to her days in Smallville. It bought back memories of summer's at the lake, breaking into LuthorCorp and helping Clark with the towns more unique… citizens. It was a past that had very much put her on the path to her future with the man sitting next to her.

She stole a glance at her husband. He was trying very hard not to pout causing him to look absolutely adorable. She couldn't help herself and let out a chuckle.

"What?"

"You're still pouting," she giggled.

"No...yes…absolutely, I hate driving in the slow lane. We have a garage with sports cars and you wanted to go for a drive in this one."

"Oliver Queen you snob, stop insulting Ruby. I love my car, besides the roof was already down and it's such a beautiful afternoon."

"And I adore you… which is why I am driving in the slow lane."

"Hmm … and since we are driving in the slow lane…" she purred moving towards him.

"Chloeeee," the warning tone in his voice clear, "we are not going _that _slow."

"What?" she said innocently. "I was just going to…" He grabbed her hand before she could finish her sentence.

"This Queen is not amused," his sunglasses hiding the roll of his eyes.

"But you are cute when you pout." She settled instead for blowing him a kiss and letting her hand rest on his arm.

They had both been home by the earlier afternoon and Oliver had surprised her by telling her that they were going for a drive about 45 minutes out of city limits and to bring an overnight bag just in case. She had to admit it was the perfect distraction to her current musings regarding her various 'jobs.'

Oliver smiled a little at the warmth of her hand on his arm. He had let out a sigh of relief for them when the pregnancy test had come back negative, thanking the universe for more time to work on their relationship before adding a little person to the mix. As fate would have it, her body had just been having a stress reaction to everything that had happen in the last few months after all.

Chloe promised she was going to do better at taking her mother's advice in the future. They had also agreed that unless they got a 'surprise' they wouldn't be planning kids until Chloe got the green light. So with the pregnancy being a false alarm, things had settled down in the last few days, which he was grateful for. They deserved a little down time from surprises.

Oliver turned off the main highway onto the road that led to several housing estates. He had been trying hard to regain Chloe's trust and show her that he meant what he said about being around for the long haul but it had only been a couple of days since he had said that.

It had been Mary who had suggested this trip to his childhood home as a way to further show Chloe that he was all in. He had heard stories in bars about interfering monster-in-laws and while he had no doubt that Mary could kick him into the next century if she had wanted, she had been nothing but supportive and dare he say it…motherly.

The car slowed down as they rolled up to a wooden gate. Oliver entered a couple of numbers on a pin pad and the gate swung open. The property had been his until Lionel acquired it (somewhat underhandedly), during Nicholas Crane's illegal fire sale of his assets. And while he didn't feel the need to make a pilgrimage to Lionel's grave to say thanks, he was now grateful to have it back.

"Oh wow, the owners must love the gardens…it's so green and beautiful," Chloe enthused.

"So you like the gardens then." His parents had taken great care in cultivating them in the beginning and he had made sure that they had been maintained.

"Yeah why wouldn't I, I mean we had the woods in Kansas, but this is ferns, palm trees and orchids, like its own little tropical paradise."

"Points for the garden then."

"Mr Queen," her voice inquiring, "are you shopping for property? I mean it's beautiful but you already have a Penthouse, a Beach House, a residential Warehouse and that Lighthouse in Wales. You don't need another property."

"Relax _we_ are not shopping…._we_ already own it, palms, flowers and bowling alley."

She opened and closed her mouth several times. "Seriously…a bowling alley?"

"Mini movie theatre too."

She watched as his eyes glazed over reflecting a nostalgic look as they pulled up to the main house. It looked like it was straight out of the Life Styles of the Rich and Famous.

"This is your parents house," she stated putting together a couple of pieces. He nodded. "Ollie…. I…if this is difficult for you…." He moved quickly around the car to open the door for her.

"It hasn't been difficult for me to visit in a long time. I have lots of happy memories here."

Seeing that he was smiling, she got out of the car. "Wow… its huge…do you have a map?"

"I won't let you get lost." He grinned offering her his arm. "Welcome to Villa Queen. Care to take a trip down memory lane with me Ms Sullivan?" She smiled back at him taking his arm, as they moved towards what Chloe assumed was the back of the property. She couldn't miss the change in Oliver's demeanor to playful boy as he began to reminisce.

As they walked through the gardens, he told her of the times he and his dad had had boat races on the pond, the first time his dad had let him shoot an arrow, the walks around the garden with his mom, the camping trips under the stars and the movie nights, just the three of them.

He told her of the time he had tried to impress Cissy Jones at his sixth birthday party and the time a hundred doves had been released in honor of a business deal that had circled the delegation and proceed to crap over everyone. Oliver loved the sound of her laugh, which was something he was hearing a lot of today. Laughing wasn't something she did nearly enough of.

Her heart warmed that he had all these happy memories of his childhood and spending time with his parents. She was also somewhat grateful that the property had made its way back to its rightful owner.

As he told her about the time he had decided to be an explorer in the deepest jungles of the Amazon and the time he broke his arm falling out of a tree while investigating a UFO, she had images of a little blonde mini me tracing his footsteps wanting to be just like dad.

Wow, six months ago kids had been even further away for her than marriage but now that she had Oliver… She had to admit that the possibility of a little bundle of trouble with his chin dimple sometime in the future suddenly made the myriad of tests that Emil was going to run on her after Christmas much more bearable. She had no doubt that given the opportunity Oliver would be an excellent father, just as he was proving to her that he was an excellent husband.

She had only been quiet for a few moments before she felt his arms wind around her engulfing her in his embrace. Her heart had fallen in love with the boy he had been and a little more in love with the man he was now.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"For what?"

"For bringing me here. For wanting to share those personal moments, it means a lot to me."

"It means a lot to me that you listened, I haven't shared a lot of those memories with anyone," he said bending down to kiss her then pressing his forehead pressed to hers.

"I love you," she replied kissing him back.

His heart skipped along joyously. After twenty years of not hearing those three little words, he was going to treasure it. "I love you too."

-xxXxx-

Hours later his fingers played with her mother's ring that she still wore. It was a daily reminder to him that he hadn't given her one and that their wedding weeks ago hadn't been by choice. But the headline that had accompanied their Vegas nuptials had preempted the truth. Their love really had bloomed in a time of adversity and Oliver was falling in deeper with her as the days went by.

"Hey hero, I can hear you thinking."

"Lots to think about."

"Would one of those things be to have Christmas here at the Villa?"

"You'd want that?" he queried, surprised. His only intention in bringing her here was to give her an opportunity to get to know a little bit more about how his childhood had shaped the man she was joined to for life.

"There's something about this place. After hearing you talk so lovingly about your parents, it would seem fitting for us to have our first Christmas together somewhere they could be with us in spirit. But that's only if you want to."

"I'd like that." He pulled her over until she was lying on top of him and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "It would mean a lot to me… to have Christmas here."

"If that would make you happy, then it's settled."

"_You_ make me happy Chloe." Yeah, she definitely had a keeper.

She snuggled comfortably into his arms, relishing how protected and safe she felt. "Ollie?"

"Mmm."

"Do you think we would be here if it hadn't been for Lionel?" _That_ was a question neither of them had addressed yet, but it was something she had been thinking about a lot.

"Absolutely, just on a timetable of our making. As for the here and now, you accepting me back, me wanting to stay with you and falling in love under extreme circumstances. That has everything to do with the type of people we are and nothing to do with Lionel. Despite what he told me he could have very well intended for us to end up like Lex and Lana. Bitter and resentful." He paused. "What about you, what are you thinking?"

She repositioned her head on his chest, surprised at the ease in which they were having a conversation that could've bought up all kinds of negative feelings. "Some days I really hate that the Luthor's have manipulated so much of my life and my experiences with love and relationships before you, made me skeptical that I would ever have anything close to what I fantasized about. But the type of connection we have, and the trust that we are building, it's already more than I ever thought I would have in my life. I think that while Lionel was responsible for the wedding, the _marriage_ is all on us and that we would've have gotten here on our own."

He interlocked his fingers through hers and nodded in agreement. "Like it or not, Lionel is always going to be figure in our lives somehow. It wouldn't surprise me if his doppelganger stepped through a portal sometime in the future to play havoc with our lives some more. I hate most of the things he did to people in his lifetime. But you're right, being married is all on us; it's our choice and our way. I wish I could guarantee that staying together will be as easy as breathing. I can't…but we can work at it until it is."

They drifted into companionable silence, satisfied that they had come to some sort of understanding on where Lionel factored into their relationship.

She gently caressed his cheek. "Ollie?"

"Hmm"

"I'm glad _you're_ my husband."

"Ditto professor."

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 23rd December 2008_

As Chloe walked down the busy street crowded with last minute Christmas shoppers, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She stopped in front of a shop, pulling her taser out discreetly from her purse and putting it in her jacket pocket while subtly checking out the area. Ever since the place Lionel's _dummy_ library was stored had had attempted break-ins, Chloe had been feeling uneasy, sure that it was Lex looking for something. It had made her a little more on edge than normal.

He watched her from the shadows, his lips pursed as he observed her scoping out the locale. While he hadn't meant to alarm her, he was comforted that she seemed to be aware of her surroundings.

Then she was looking directly at him, eyebrow raised, hands on hips, the wind whipping the strands of her hair sticking out from under her hat around her face. The blue tooth in his ear chirped, 'incoming communication from WatchTower'. He. Was. So. Busted.

"Hi honey," he gulped. "I was about to call. Sorry if I spooked you. I thought I would walk you to your destination and you could tell me how your last day of work was." He hoped she wasn't too irritated with him. He had thought a lot about her during the day but had been unable to get away from his office until he was scheduled for patrol.

She shook her head and bit down on her lower lip. Gee he was being sweet and overprotective all in one move. She started walking again knowing he would follow on his highway. Truthfully she had missed him during the day and would have preferred to have her husband walking and talking beside her, rather than several story's above her, and through a voice distorter. But that was part and parcel of her life.

"A reporter from the Tattler tried to pass himself off as the new intern and engage me in water cooler gossip," she replied lightly to his question.

"Bet you saw right through that phony attempt."

"Oh yeah, he seemed genuinely surprised though when I turned up with security to escort him off the premises. Then I spent the afternoon listening to Perry's stories. I'll miss working with him."

After a tug of war between her heart and her head Chloe had resigned her position as part of the research staff for Hour. She was profoundly grateful for the opportunity to work with Perry, but with the changes in her life came the chance to dream bigger about the type of difference she could make in the world. Staying part of the staff wasn't part of the plan anymore.

"How was your day at the office?" Her pace quickening a little as she spoke because the breeze had cooled considerably.

"Encouraging. We are making some headway in China with our previous partners and they are keen to do business with us again," he estimated the gap he needed to bridge between buildings before leaping, making a small 'oomph' sound as he landed.

Chloe started breathing again. It was one thing to know that your husband was a kick ass vigilante and quiet another to hear him in action even if it was just following her. Her heart always beat a little faster when any of them were out on Patrol until she knew they were safe and sound.

"And we signed a deal with firm as preferred supplier over LuthorCorp." Taking that deal out from under Lex's nose had been particularly satisfying for him.

"Someone sounds very pleased with himself."

"Any day I can dampen Lex's plans is a good day. Besides with this new contract, there's a good chance we can bring the WatchTower 2 project forward."

"Vic will think all his Christmases have come at once." She froze momentarily as she heard a cry for help.

"Go!" she ordered, and in a heartbeat he was gone. She forced herself into a jog towards the boy's lair, which was currently doubling up as HQ, even though she really wanted to head towards the scream. The only thing stopping her was that she didn't want to distract Oliver and he had made her promise to think safety first.

"Tower." Vic nodded as she walked in.

"Vic," she acknowledged looking at Ollie's dot.

"He's fine, it was a domestic squabble. He's just going to do one more sweep of the area before calling it."

"Thanks, anything else happen of interest."

"Just the usual lackeys trying to get into that Warehouse."

"How far did they get this time?"

"Only level 2. The last lot got to level 4, which excellent programming by the way. When do you think they'll realize that there is nothing there?"

"Why thank you. I should be able to help out a lot more with IT now that I am a free agent. Hopefully they don't figure it out for a while. So long as they think all the security around that warehouse means something valuable is there, we get extra time to figure out what it is that they want."

"Welcome back to JL International, Ms C Anne Sullivan," he grinned.

-xxXxx-

_Queen Villa, 25th December 2008_

Secret Santa drops had been made, presents had been opened, Skype conferences had taken place with Lois and Martha and several large Turkey's consumed.

The boys were busy indulging their inner child and racing their toy boats on the pond and Chloe and Mary had been strolling around the gardens in companionable silence in an attempt to help all the food they had eaten digest.

It was just another one of those surreal moments that Chloe wouldn't have thought possible six months ago. Mary grabbed her daughter's hand and held onto it as she had when Chloe was a little girl and started swinging them.

Chloe couldn't help but smile and think back to the times when it was just the two of them walking in the park, or she and her cousins were running to Mary to save them from the general's wrath. While the journey certainly had its share of the strange and unexplained, she was grateful to have her mother back in her life.

"It means a lot to me that you're here mom."

"It means a lot too me too sweetheart." They sat down on a nearby bench. "Everything has been so hectic. How are you doing?"

"I'm in a good place at the moment. Did John tell you that he agreed to train with me?"

"He did," a small grin appearing on Mary's face. Chloe had noticed that a lot lately with her mom.

"So….. what's going on with you and my favorite Martian?

"Lets just say I am also in a good place in my life right now."

Raising an eyebrow she asked. "Do I need to talk to him about his intentions towards my mother?"

Mary chuckled. "Believe it or not Oliver already did that. I kind of adore my son-in-law. The conversation was quiet amusing to listen to…"

"What Oliver…he didn't tell me that…"

"Relax its hardly something to get worked up about. I think he was more worried about shattering any dreams you might have about your dad and I." Mary looked at her reaction carefully.

Chloe tilted her head from side to side thinking how best to explain how she felt about that. "Sure…I've thought about it a lot, and played 'what if'. But I've known for a long time that was never going happen. While there is still a place for you in dad's heart, and he never spoke bad of you, he emotionally moved on a long time ago. My hope is that one day we can sit down together for dinner or something like that, but that's all I hope for. Anything else is just a fantasy with no expectation behind it."

Mary's hand moved to her daughter's arm. "Gabe will always have a very special place in my heart. I was so in love with him, his take on life, his sense of humor. In the beginning I thought maybe we could work things out…but we don't always get what we want. We have the most amazing daughter though whose empathy healed me. I don't think I tell you enough how proud I am of you, what you've accomplished, how you're facing your fears and conquering them. If anyone gets how hard that is, I do. "

"Thanks mom, that means a lot to me."

Mary kissed her on the temple "Merry Christmas my little cub."

-xxXxx-

Chloe walked into the room they were currently claiming as theirs slightly nervous. The last time they had been at the Villa they had talked about being married in contrast to the wedding and an idea had formed in her mind.

She took out the small box from its hiding place, hoping that what was inside was okay.

"Hey what you doin?" He asked when he noticed her rubbing her palms on her pants. That was one of her tells that she was nervous about something.

She took a deep breath and approached him with the box tucked in her hand. "I have one more gift for you. I thought of a hundred different ways to give this to you and then just decided to go with the direct approach."

"I have something for you too." He took her free hand, getting the picture that they had been on the same wavelength without knowing it.

"Ollie I love you…and I feel a bit robbed that I don't remember giving you a ring and what I said when I did." She opened the box to reveal a Platinum men's ring with several emeralds inlaid in the band. "So I am hoping that you will take this ring and wear it as a symbol of the love that I have for you that keeps growing as the days go past."

He held his hand out silently as she slipped the ring on his finger. She looked at him reverently "I love the way you hold me and chase my fears away. I love that you had a dream to help people and followed it and invited me to participate. I know things won't always be easy but I do promise to stand with you, beside you, as long as I live; to comfort you when you are sad, to protect you and to support all your endeavors. I promise to try and be honest and open with you, even for things that I think are silly and that the name Oliver Jonas Queen will always be cherished by me. You are more than just my best friend, you're my kindred spirit and if I have given you reason to doubt me before, I am in – all in, attitude, heart, mind, body and soul."

Nothing in his life had prepared him for the wonderful emotions he was feeling right now. And she was literally radiating a heavenly glow that projected peace and happiness.

"I accept your ring Chloe and I hope you accept mine and know that if I could find a way to give you the moon, I would." She looked at him with trusting eyes as he exchange her mother's ring with a platinum emerald and diamond one. "With you I don't feel alone anymore in a world that would tear me down faster than it would raise me up. I never thought I would find someone who would see me for me and want to stick around. You may have started off as a friend, but now you are the person who means everything to me. You ground me and give me purpose. You are my one true love, my family, my home. I promise to listen when you talk, to ally your fears and pull you back if you're on the edge. I too promise to try and be honest and open with you, even when I think withholding the truth would protect you and I will cherish you for as long as I live."

She took a moment to look at the ring on her finger. "It's beautiful Oliver."

"It pales in comparison to us." He lifted his hand to caress her cheek, his eye's locking with hers. It didn't matter that there had been no witness to their little exchange. It was all in their eyes, everything they had said, and everything they hadn't gotten around to saying yet, all confirming that they were living those three little words. It wasn't the wedding that was important, it was the marriage. And it was _their_ marriage and no one could take that away from them.

Chloe bought his head down and kissed him passionately. This had to be her favorite Christmas in a long time and they would be celebrating it well into the next day.

-xxXxx-

John and Mary had been sitting in the gardens enjoying the sea breeze. Being in tune with the younger couple, they couldn't help but use their respective abilities to hear the exchange.

"I'm very proud of them," a small tear escaping down her cheek.

"As am I." John stood up. "Come it's a beautiful night for flying."

**To Be Continued**

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> For those of you who are interested there is a link in my profile page of what the Queen Villa could have looked like. Needless to say if I had a spare couple of mill I would love to buy it. Its beautiful! Also on my profile page are the links to Chloe and Oliver's rings.

Next Chapter: Our Blondes will be heading to Metropolis and a Luthor meeting is on the cards. Reviews are love :-p


	11. Kings and Queens

**AN**: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, and I am just all gooey from the amount of support I've had while writing this fic. I second guessed myself a lot with this chapter and it took a while to come together.

Chapter Spoilers/Summary: 3 1/2 years have passed and Emil has some surprising news for the Queens. Something is also afoot with the Luthor's. A nod to the sitcom How I met your Mother in this chapter.

Thanks to Hellza_on_Earth for being a great cheerleader.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Kings and Queens<strong>

Into your eyes, Hopeless and taken, We stole our new lives. Through blood and pain, In defense of our dreams. We were the Kings and Queens of promise, We were the victims of ourselves. Maybe the children of a lesser God, between heaven and hell – 30 Seconds to Mars

_Star City, 20th April 2012_

_"-_Just the four of us tomorrow? Dinner should be fine, our place. Love you too mom," Chloe said ending the call resuming her activities.

Oliver stood in the doorway to the kitchen and smirked as he watched his wife's hips sway in time with the music, the hem of his business shirt from yesterday swishing teasingly against the tops of her thighs. She was now flipping pancakes with one hand, the other holding a spoon she was currently licking the cream off.

His mouth started watering. Breakfast…looked really inviting this morning. She turned around swiftly and gave him one of her '_I know what you're thinking but don't go there'_ smiles. "Good Morning" she said, placing her lips against his softly not giving in to his unspoken plea. She was starving this morning and extra crispy pancakes had been on the menu more than once because they had been too caught up in each other.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Queen," he murmured, his lips hovering over her mouth, the hint of cream on her lips stimulating all kinds of ideas in his head.

'_Incoming coming video call from Dr Emil Hamilton_,' the automated system announced.

"Accept call in the kitchen please," Chloe responded, leaning back and taking advantage of the interruption to step away from her smoldering hot husband. Oliver let out a little puff of air, pouted and stood a respectable distance from his wife. Not that they hadn't made the good doc blush before.

Emil's face flickered onto the comm screen as Chloe put another spoon of cream into her mouth and indicated to Oliver that he should start with the pleasantries.

"Hi, Emil everything okay?" To Oliver the man didn't seem to be in any kind of distress but Emil was always calm, it was one of the traits that made him a valuable asset.

"Morning Oliver, Chloe. Everything is… fine, but I wanted to talk to the both of you if you have the time."

"Sure, shoot."

"The baseline test results for Chloe since her last turn as Florence Nightingale have returned to normal but there have been some other changes in her biochemistry."

Oliver instinctively pulled her into his side. Her impression of sleeping beauty after she healed someone hadn't gotten easier on him over the years. She squeezed him back reassuringly, confident that the news Emil had wasn't negative.

Her last stint as 'Florence' had been nine weeks ago. Bart had been doing some investigating into a guy named Rush who was running a gladiator type game with people who were meta's and selling viewing subscriptions online. He had gotten himself into a whole lot of trouble that he couldn't get out of _and_ keep his ability secret. When the team had finally gotten to him he had been badly injured and running out of time.

Using her physical healing power was something that she had done occasionally over the years. Mostly because all the testing she had undergone in 2009 established it only worked on those with whom she shared a emotional connection, then the injury had to be worth the tears and the down time in the first place.

Once it was established that having an emotional connection with someone was necessary for her ability to work, that information had silenced a nagging voice inside her head that had popped up after their exchange of vows at Christmas. The voice told her that the only reason she was _staying _married to Oliver was because of the stakes and that if she'd had a choice she wouldn't be here.

But given that her abilities depended on the connection she shared with the person in question, she had realized she had loved him long before she had said those three little words. Not only had she been able to physically heal Oliver, but she had been able to establish a psychic link with him – when they had been nothing more than friends. Then there had been all those times she had been able to soothe and comfort him, and he had said it felt like she was drawing the negative feelings from him. Turns out she really had been.

The revelation had also helped Oliver shake off the taint of Lionel's meddling somewhat by reaffirming _his_ belief that if they had been left to their own timetable they would've gotten into forever territory by themselves.

"Is the fact that you haven't asked us to sit down a good sign?" Oliver queried his brows furrowing returning his attention back to the doc.

Emil chuckled a bit before shrugging his shoulder a little. "I think it's positive news, but perhaps you might what to sit down just in case…"

Chloe put the now empty bowl of cream down. "We're okay Emil. So what's my biochemistry up to."

"Well first can I say this is one of the instances where I admit that I was wrong." She titled her head a little and he continued before she could ask what he meant by that statement. "Chloe your blood tests having been showing higher levels of estrogen and progesterone and HCG has been constant now for six weeks."

"What are you telling us…?" Oliver trailed off trying to stifle the excited feeling bubbling in his stomach, considering what Emil had told them at the beginning of the year.

"Congratulations you two! You're six weeks pregnant and everything is looking good. I can see that cravings have started already," he noted looking at the cream bowl. Eating cream by the bowl full certainly wasn't the norm for her.

Chloe's mouth was doing an impression of a goldfish. "Pregnant! Are you sure that my body isn't just on fritz….that we're really expecting… because the specialists said…even you said it would probably take years… I mean…. I'm pregnant?" she finished finally.

"I know what was said Chloe," Emil responded somewhat bemused by her inability to form complete sentences. "I've been sitting on this news for the last few days. I've checked and rechecked. Believe me I didn't want to be wrong about what the results meant. It seems I didn't give enough consideration to your body resetting itself after you heal someone or that the two of you can't keep your hands off each other. "

She blushed a little at that and really he wasn't wrong about the hands off each other part, especially in the last few weeks. "When would baby be due?" she asked her brain jumping through acceptance and into planning mode.

"Sometime early to mid December, but we can get you a due date when you come in."

He watched as the couple in front of him looked at each other and did that speaking without words thing that they did. Oliver's smile just lit up a hundred Kent barns and Chloe was trying hard not to let her vision get to blurry.

"Can we call you later?" She was feeling all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings and wow they were going to be parents. On some level that was awesome and on another completely terrifying, they were past the point of no returns.

"Sure, and we'll discuss everything then. Congratulations again, you too Oliver."

"Thanks Emil." The call disconnected and she gazed into the adoring eyes of her co-creator his face full of wonder.

"We're having a baby," they both blurted out, Chloe unable to contain her happy tears and laughing. Oliver took her in his arms, holding her securely to him before swinging her around the kitchen.

"We made a little archer," he laughed gratitude filling his being. He was going to be dad, the thought equally humbling and thrilling at the same time.

"You would think of that!" she giggled wiping the tears away from her face. "You know the dates could be completely wrong and we could end up with another Scorpio in the family," she teased.

He looked at the mother of their child. "Scorpio, Sagittarius, I really don't care either way because he or she will be my little archer," he affirmed his forehead pressed to hers. "You're really okay with this right, it's a lot earlier than we expected."

She nodded her head. "My mind is going at a hundred miles an hour and I've forgotten what I was going to do today, but I am completely okay with this. You?"

"Emphatically okay with our family expanding sooner. I guess we have some news to share with grandma when we see her for dinner."

Her eyes went wide and then narrowed. "My mother, I suspect already knows hence dinner tomorrow."

"Well she is an amazing and intuitive woman."

"That and I swear she's …." He silenced her with a kiss not wanting to think about anything other than the three of them at this moment. Three adorable blondes surnamed Queen.

"I love you professor, you're going to be an amazing mother."

"I love you too Romeo, you're the best husband and I have no doubt that you're going to be a great father."

They stood in silence for a while he rubbed her tummy. "Wow… we're having a baby…."

"I second that wow and raise you an awesome," then she burst into giggles as her stomach growled. "Oops still hungry."

"Can't have that now can we," he replied nuzzling his face in the scent of her hair still basking in the glow of good news. "What would you like…I'm cooking."

-xxXxx-

When Oliver finally made it in to the office around 3:00 pm that afternoon he was guilty of having 'baby' on the brain. He'd actually been ready to leave the penthouse with Chloe around 11 am with intentions of heading to the office but had gotten caught up on the Kids R Us website. Who knew that there were over 50 different types of infant car seats!

Logging on he had dozens of emails and 3-missed calls from people who had his direct line, one of them being from his Luthor Corp liaison Tess Mercer. His interactions with her on Luthor Corp business over the last couple of years were frosty at best. Which considering their history was understandable.

In a different life they had saved each other from death and started a relationship. But not even three months in he had betrayed her trust and then walked away without an explanation or apology. After returning from the Ashram the first time he had accepted it as one of those experiences he couldn't change and he didn't seek her out rationalizing that was best for both of them.

Imagine his surprise when Lex had introduced her to the world as his half sister. Fate was twisted. He really had been in bed with a Luthor at one point. Not that she could help who her family was. From what he had found out it had been a surprise to her as well.

He had offered her an apology for treating her badly. She took a contract from under his nose, told him to get over himself but first could he explain how the hell his wife had ended up a Luthor heir when Lionel had a daughter that he had abandoned?

Tess had been a sweet person when he had first met her. On top of her past experience with him, she was now also dealing with the fact that her biological father hadn't deemed her worthy, but apparently had higher regard for the Queen's than those that were born as Luthor's.

While he and Lex would never see eye to eye, he did feel for all of them for the lack of love in their lives. He had never doubted that his parents had loved him and while the absence of that love had led him to make some not so great choices growing up, someone had loved him even if they weren't around anymore and he knew it.

He already felt so much love for a child he hadn't even met yet and was no bigger than a peanut. He couldn't imagine giving that child up. But Lionel had done it to both Tess and Lucas. And Lex , well Lex had also been so lonely that he had broken a bunch of ethical and legal laws and cloned his younger brother who now went by the name of Grant Gabriel. As a father Lionel, had been an epic fail in Oliver's book.

One thing was for sure, Oliver had an idea of the kind of father he _didn't_ want to be. He sighed coming back to the here and now. That Tess had emailed _and_ left a message probably meant something he really wasn't going to like. Trust the Luthor's to kill the happy buzz from the morning's good news.

-xxXxx-

_Star City, 2nd June 2012_

Chloe made her way to the study where she heard the clacking of a keyboard, her husband pulling some ridiculous hours the last couple of days. He'd put in a full day at the office, come home and tuck her into bed, then go do some more work.

She stood in the doorframe and watched him typing, completely oblivious that she and been there for at least five minutes. It wasn't until she put her hands on his shoulders and started kneading them trying to release some of the tension that he realized that someone else was in the room with him.

"Chloe," he said in a tone that was more question than acknowledgement.

"You're expecting someone else to be giving you massages at three in the morning?"

He shook his head. "No. You should be in bed."

She sat down on his lap putting her arms around him looking at what he was working on. On one screen were the images of their first 4D ultrasound taken less than 24 hours ago. At twelve weeks she was hardly showing and on the whole didn't feel any different. So just to see the limbs forming and the baby moving a little had been a special moment for both of them that they had shared with Mary. All three of them had gotten a bit tearful at one point observing the miracle of life.

On the other screen was a memo to his legal team asking about the Luthor Corp proposal.

"Luthor Corp still being pains in the ass?" she asked softly. She knew that he hadn't been giving her details because he didn't want to burden her.

He'd missed this the last couple of days. Just being able to hold her and have all his anxiety and apprehension melt away. "Unbelievably so," he replied exhaustion now catching up with him.

"Maybe its time reconsider our direct involvement with Luthor Corp?"

He tried to see where she was going with this conversation, but couldn't. Getting in Lex's face and having a very loud voice on his board was one of the ways Oliver felt karma was being served especially after Lex arranged to have him shot. "What are you thinking professor?"

"I'm thinking that they have started to take up more and more of your time and with Queen Industries growing and everything else we are trying to do, the amount of time your devoting to them isn't viable anymore."

"You're not wrong about the time commitment it's just that I don't know anyone I would be comfortable appointing in our stead. This is Lex we're talking about after all and selling our interest in the company is not on the table."

She'd actually been mulling over an idea since their last trip to Metropolis three weeks ago. As much as they wanted to keep a personal eye on all things Lex, Oliver's expected involvement had almost trebled since Lionel had died. Looking at the whole picture – babysitting Luthor Corp and keeping an eye on any potential flare ups of human experimentation while important was only a part of their larger agenda to make a difference in the world. And while she would love to go 10 rounds with Lex, she had other priorities as well.

No, she had a person in mind that had proven she could be trusted with an out of this world secret. Plus, would love a legitimate excuse for getting into Lex's face almost more than Oliver did. "I've got someone who I think would be suitable after a little coaching."

"Who?"

"Lana."

"As in Lang, Lex's ex-wife who faked her death, to run away from him and straight into the arms of boy scout as his one true love! That Lana?"

She nodded a little. When he put the story like that it sounded like a bad soap opera. "Not sure about the one true love part but she has even less love for Lex than we do. Being we would need someone that views anything that comes from Lex with suspicion and derision I don't think we could ask for a better ally. Lana is already keeping tabs on Lex since she started the Isis Foundation in Metropolis. She won't want him anywhere near her meteor powered clients."

"Lana huh. That would be a win-win and it would piss Lex off more than having me there. With Luthor Corp off my plate then I might actually get the chance to go to bed the same time as you in the future."

Her mouth turned upwards in a smirk as she rubbed her belly. "We'd like that wouldn't we little archer?" Then she put her ear to her belly as if to listen. "What was that? Yes I completely agree. We do sleep better when daddy's with us."

Oliver's face completely melted into that of adoration. There was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for his family. He dropped a kiss to her belly.

"Let's go to bed then. We can contact Ms Lang later and see if she's willing to help out."

-xxXxx-

_Metropolis, 18th June 2012_

"Can't believe you made me do this" Oliver's smile tense, his wife held tight to his side, resisting the urge to put his hands on her belly and put his case to their daughter. They hadn't made any kind of public announcement yet and while her waist had started to expand it was still easily disguised with clothing.

Him talking to her belly would just announce it to everyone not to mention probably start some kind of debate about how parents who try to present rational arguments to their unborn children are doing some kind of physiological damage.

"Please _I_ didn't make you do anything, I merely told you what I was doing and asked if you wanted to come."

"As if I was going to let you anywhere by yourself." He'd gone into major bodyguard mode as the reality of being responsible for the safety of their baby girl, not to mention his wife sunk in as soon as Emil had confirmed what they were having a week ago. It just added another level of reality to their prospective parenthood.

"We have each other lo-jacked in every possible way. Besides on my scale of dangerous things to do, attending the opening a new wing of the Metropolis library by Senator Kent is a low zero on my list."

"Under normal circumstances I would agree with your threat assessment, but then I saw the guest list."

"Seriously," she deadpanned. "Academics, a few member's of the press and my cousin."

"And.." he pressed.

"And one or two Luthor's may have been invited…" she offered a little exasperated.

"Exactly!" he said please she had gotten his point. "I don't want Lex any where near my family."

"I can handle a couple of icy stares across the room if they come, Ollie."

"Not the point," he murmured. "Besides they'll come, the good senator naming the wing Veritas and our significant donation of Lionel's library will bring them, in the hopes that a we have left a tidbit of information."

"Oomph." The sound escaping before she had a chance to reply to him as she was wrapped in one very solid pair of arms belonging to Lois Lane.

"Cuz!"

"Lois, you're squishing my wife," Oliver stated looking a bit alarmed trying to pry them apart.

"Love you too Lois," Chloe squeaked as Lois released her.

"She misses her cousin," Martha supplied putting a friendly hand on Oliver's arm. "We should give them a chance to catch up." She linked her arm in his and walked towards the new wing, the official opening less than half an hour away. Chloe gave him a wink and mouthed "_I'll be fine_."

Oliver attempted to relax looking at the logic of the situation. It _was_ he agreed a very low threat scenario, and she was right. WatchTower knew where she was at all times, plus he had a couple of super friends on speed dial. Nothing was going to happen.

"I haven't had the chance in person to thank and Chloe for your personal contribution to this project."

"You don't need to thank us, Mrs K. Most of the books were in a warehouse gathering dust anyway."

"True but given your obvious feelings towards the Luthor's you could have just as easily had a large bonfire with all that paper."

"That wouldn't have been very green of me, besides despite what I thought of their previous owner, the collection of first editions is impressive and they belong in a place where they can be appreciated. "

"And there is your hero heart, willing to share what you have for the good of the world. You're a good man Oliver."

-xxXxx-

Lois came back to their hiding place with a mixed platter meant for the reception and gave it to her cousin.

Chloe flashed her a grateful smile before making a selecting several cookies.

"Okay spill, I know that smile."

"Just a flashback, of Clark bringing me a plate of cookies. Completely random huh."

"Completely random" Lois agreed. "Smallville was another life time ago, I mean you've almost been in Star City for just as long and now you're going to be mom."

"I cross my heart, I didn't know that was going to happen four years ago, but I wouldn't change a thing."

"Can I?"

"Sure."

Lois put her hands over her cousins belly.

"Hi, little cuz. I am your awesome Aunt Lois and I want you to know that if you need anything, especially any tips on how to wrangle yourself out of trouble I am the one to come and speak to."

"Lois!"

"Yes, I think Lois is a perfect name for my niece!"

"That would be a no."

"What could be a better name for a little girl than Lois?"

"I love you cuz, but Ollie and I don't want to name her after anyone. She is already going to have to deal with the fact that she's a Sullivan-Queen, we don't want her to feel like she has to live up to anyone else's name too."

"Just so long as she doesn't end up with a name like Tiger or Moon, or Wait-for-it," Lois grinned.

"I loved that episode of How I Met your Mother," Chloe enthused.

"So did I, but thank goodness Ollie doesn't have a friend named Barney," Lois smiling at her cousin and watching a guy in a server's outfit approaching them. Oops looks like they were sprung.

"Mrs Queen?"

Chloe looked up and smiled in acknowledgement, currently completely content. Then she felt a sharp prick in her neck.

-xxXxx-

Oliver stood off to one side of the room looking around for his wife when he caught sight of a statuesque redhead walking towards him. He was unsure of what to expect from her, especially since they announced their intention to have Lana Lang as their representative.

"Hmm, no feisty blonde attached to your hip this morning?"

"Not my choice," he responded smiling a little. She and Lois had probably done a snack run. "Big brother not joining you. I know how intrigued he must be with the idea of a Veritas library."

Tess raised her eyebrow at the small hint of domestic happiness, usually he was fiercely guarded when it came to his wife.

"Veritas. Latin for Truth and the name of an… astronomy club our fathers belonged to which was in fact nothing more than intense discussions amongst wealthy families about power and control and how they could be used for the good of the world or to its detriment. Somehow I think the meaning of the word Veritas was lost on them."

"You've done your homework. Then you would know that most of those original members disagreed with each other vehemently."

"I wouldn't know about that, but I do know each and every member including daddy dearest met an untimely end." She paused, "to answer your question Lex isn't coming, he's meeting with your new representative, which nicely played by the way."

"Glad you can you can appreciate the strategy."

"You never fail to surprise me Oliver. I honestly thought it was just luck on your side, but it turns out that you and your wife are smart too."

"Is this you calling a truce Tess?"

"Not at all, this me simply acknowledging that you're both much more shrewd in your business dealings than I have previously given you credit for. I can see now why the two of attracted Lionel's attention."

"Tess," he sighed not wanting to get into this discussion again with her.

Tess went to say something when she was interrupted by one of her assistants who pulled her off to one side and showed her something after which she left the building in a hurry. He glanced over his shoulder aware that they never seemed to be able to resolve anything.

As he looked up at the podium he was hit with the overwhelming sensation that Chloe was in trouble just as his phone started to vibrate, no doubt alerting him to the same. He whipped it out of his pocket and moved as quickly as he could towards the reception area.

He looked around frantically for her, sure that she was near. " Have you seen a petite blonde and a tall brunette come through here?"

The serving staff all shook their heads then he caught the eye of one of them heading towards the door with a linen basket.

"Hey," he yelled.

The guy started running and Oliver took off after him, the staff getting out of the way. Oliver's heart was racing, he couldn't feel her, which meant she was at least knocked out. As he pushed open the back doors a truck was pulling out of the bay, he was about to leap onto the roof, when his world went black.

**To Be Continued**

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>For those who have been following this fic since I first posted Mahalo. When I started I had no idea that I would still be writing 7 months later. Unfortunately even though I have spent a lot of hours on this story I am not one of those writers that just has words come together - If I did a couple of my other stories would already be realized!

Next Chapter: Somebody Save Me


	12. Somebody Save Me

**AN: Massive THANK YOU **to all those who added the story as an Alert or Fav in recent weeks. And thank you to everyone who has been following along, left reviews or given me the thumbs up since I started posting.

Thanks to Hellza-On-Earth for being awesome.

Quick story recap - Chloe moved to Star City after being fired from the Daily Planet. She stayed with Oliver and the rest of the team and her friendship with Oliver deepened at a time when Oliver really needed a friend. Lionel Luthor suddenly married them off to each other one night in Vegas leaving all his worldly goods to the new nuptials. Lionel also confessed to killing Oliver's parents and Oliver didn't take the whole situation very well at all heading to India for a bit of a recoup. He came back and he and Chloe sorted things out and decided to work on a really being husband and wife. After almost 3 1/2 years of marriage Chloe is now expecting a baby girl. While in Metropolis to support Senator Kent, Chloe and her cousin Lois have been abducted by persons unknown at this point in time.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Somebody Save Me <strong>

_I see the world has folded in your heart, I feel the waves crash down inside, And they pull me under, And, I would give you anything you want, oh, You are all I wanted, All my dreams have fallen down, Crawlin' round and round and round_

_Somebody save me, Let your warm hands break right through, Somebody save me, I don't care how you do it, just Stay (with Me), stay, C'mon, I've been waiting for you – Remy Zero_

_Metropolis, 18th June 2012_

Chloe squeezed Lois's hand trying to relive some of her distress, but she didn't need her a special ability to know what Lois was thinking. 'T_he bastards, if her cousin or niece was hurt in any way, it was going to take a superman to save them cause no one hurt her baby cuz and got away with it.' _Her heart warmed at Lois's protective instincts and while she wasn't happy that Lois was being dragged into whatever was going on, she was grateful for the company.

The guy who they had originally thought was a waiter made eye contact with them and pulling out a pairing knife, skillfully carved out a skull in an apple before popping it into his mouth, the sound of chewing awfully loud in an otherwise silent cabin.

Chloe wanted to roll her eyes at his attempt to be intimidating and well Lois had grown up around hard-nosed military men whose job it was to scare grown men till they were peeing in their pants. She glanced sideways at her cousin. Nope not intimidated, more infuriated.

The van slowed down and stopped some moments later. Chloe eyed her cousin and they both silently agreed to not punch out the guards closest to them, any thoughts of taking down their captors and escaping scuttled by the appearance of six more armed men. Lois on the whole had demonstrated amazing restraint. Normally she would have just thrown punches or at least been more vocal.

They were shown to a sparsely furnished room and the door locked behind them. Other than sighing with relief at not being under guard for the moment they still hadn't spoken a word aloud. While they both knew that Oliver would leave no stone unturned to find them, it wasn't like either of them to passively wait for rescue…they had to do what they could to help themselves. They started by taking an inventory of the room and its contents looking for hidden cameras or microphones.

A short while later they hadn't found anything and had started speaking to each other recapping events in the hopes of piecing together what was going on. The sound of shouting and scuffling getting closer to them made them stop.

"_Don't you know who I am?" _A man bellowed outside the door.

_ No_ it couldn't be! They both looked at each other sure that they had heard wrong. The doors opened and several assault rifles were pointed in their direction and a man was shoved in the room with them, the door promptly locking again.

"You!" Lois shrieked, moving to stand between him and Chloe. "You bald bastard what the hell did you do," Lois's fist flying as her pent up frustration got the better of her.

Given her suspicions that _he_ was responsible for the fact she wasn't enjoying a late lunch in bed with Oliver, Lex was the last person Chloe expected to see confined with them.

He stood up and wiped the blood from his lip cursing his luck at being confined with the two women who had gotten in his way more than once. "Can't say I am surprised that you think that our current situation is _my_ fault. It seems to be the Sullivan-Lane modus operandi. Something goes wrong and all fingers are pointed in my direction."

"Lex Luthor, only you could be so bold as to pretend to be a victim here," Chloe murmured, her instincts telling her that her one time friend _was_ involved somehow. She put a restraining hand on Lois's arm but the taller woman was on a roll.

"Of course this is your fault, what the hell did you do and why drag us into your mess?"

"I promise you Ms Lane I am just as surprised as you are at being here and when I find out who had the audacity to not send me a proper invitation, you'll just have to get in line while I make sure that that person understands the repercussions of their actions."

Chloe looked for his tell's that he was lying or giving half-truths. She didn't see any. Her cousin's fists curling ready to give him the Lane combination for ….well, being him. "Let it go," she said quietly the question now burning in her mind, _if_ (and that was a big _if_) Lex was telling the truth and he had nothing to do with their kidnapping, who else would have the resources or motivation to take them from their daily activities?

-xxXxx-

"Tess!" Oliver exclaimed pushing open the doors to her office, ignoring his protesting body and the pounding in his head. It had been almost two hours since he'd lost Chloe and time was of the essence. For all the tracking devices on her, Chloe's signals had been lost entering a hanger registered to LuthorCorp.

Victor had already hacked his way through several databases but the schematics to the facility they had concluded went underground, couldn't be found. While he really wanted to just aim a rocket at the front door, smoke everyone out and storm the area, his girls were at stake. So while going in blind was unwise at the best of times, the current situation made it more so.

The thought of Chloe being alone with one Lex Luthor made him sick to the stomach. The last time she had been Lex's personal guest, Clark had had to burn a hole in her shoulder to remove a tracking device.

Lex was such a bastard, he'd had a press conference shortly after dismissing Lana to announce a new LuthorCorp program to help school children thereby covering his whereabouts at the time Chloe was taken nicely. His charitable giving certainly hiding his true nature from the wider public.

He didn't believe that deep down Tess was cut from the same cloth, but if he found out that she had anything to do with Chloe's disappearance or was covering for her brother…no matter how guilty he still felt for his past behavior towards her, he would find a way to expose her. At the moment however, she offered his best chance of getting the information he needed.

Tess didn't even bother to look up at him. "You have a minute to explain your reason for bursting in here before I have security escort you off the premises," she said not appreciating the interruption. A situation had arisen requiring Lex's attention however he was currently un-contactable.

He strode purposefully towards her and got in her personal space laying out several surveillance pictures. "These pictures were taken shortly after you left the library. This," he said pointing to a petite women with a hood over her face "is Chloe," and "this," he said pointing to the van "is the vehicle she was placed in." He pulled out a satellite picture "we lost her GPS signal at these co-ordinates which just so happens to be a property owned by LuthorCorp."

He looked for any hint of guilt or shock on her face. But she betrayed neither of those. What he did get was annoyance.

"Conspiracy theory Oliver…really," her voice dripping in skepticism. "I suggest if your story is true, you do what any person in your position would have done and make a call to get help rather than point fingers."

"But you are the person most able to help me, since I already know that Lex disappeared from LuthorCorp right after his little show n tell with the press. I need to know about that property Tess and what Lex is doing there."

"You think Lex had something to do with this?" she asked in disbelief. Her mind couldn't fathom a reason why he would think Lex would want to kidnap anyone. Despite his personality clashes with several persons he just wasn't that malicious and she refused to have her family slandered any further. "I know the two of you hate each other, but Lex isn't some evil megalomaniac that abducts wives from public gatherings."

Oliver wanted to tell her _exactly_ what Lex was capable of, but now was not the time to get into the laundry list of Lex's crimes against his family. He hated that he was relying on her to give him the information he sought.

Oliver barley hid the desperation he was feeling. "This isn't a random stranger we're talking about… it's my wife, please Tess just do a search."

She accessed the LuthorCorp Property Manger and typed in the address humoring him if only to get him out of her office quicker. NO MATCH FOUND. She turned her computer screen around for him to see. "Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do. " She dismissed him as she would any number of people, a finality in her voice that brokered no further discussion. But Oliver would not be deterred.

"Damn it Tess, you're a better person than that. Chloe means everything to me so I would appreciate a little heartfelt co-operation," he added more softly "…..please, try Lex's personal server."

Tess looked at her ex-lover and couldn't help but wonder at what point Oliver became so concerned with protecting the woman in his life, but it was several years late in her book. But _his_ insinuation into her brothers and therefore her character bristled. As far as she was concerned her dealings with him at all times since she had come on board as a LuthorCorp VP had been above reproach, they had even been a little more like frenemies earlier in the day. His one little sentence though had them right back at glacial relations with no chance of thawing out….ever.

"You want access to Lex's personal server come back with a court order. I have humored you and your accusations about my family long enough. You know where the door is," she finished coldly. Oliver didn't move and so she gave into her urge to take a stab at _his_ character. "I suggest you get started on searching for your wife for real rather than laying the blame on the Luthor doorstep or one can't help but think you don't care for her nearly as much as you profess. After all men have made their wives disappear for less than she's worth."

"I wouldn't do that to her...I'm not that type of person," he defended realizing what Tess thought _he_ was capable of.

As Tess watched his face contort in pain at the slight she realized a simple truth. Her words had hit him hard below the belt – Oliver Queen was truly in love with his wife and that she could think that he would make the situation up had hurt him deeply.

"I don't see that anyone in my family is either," she replied, satisfied that they now had an understanding as to where her loyalties were.

He nodded, his feet heading towards the door and he really, really wanted to break something. All the plans he and Chloe had put into place to keep each other safe had proved ineffective. Now she had been gone for close to three hours and all he could think about was how his arms ached to hold her and have her reassurance that everything was okay.

Talking to Tess had not gone well, in fact it had destroyed any progress they had made over the years. He just hoped that Victor had been able to access to the LuthorCorp personal servers via the cloak he had on him, because every fiber of Oliver's being was telling him this whole situation was all on Lex despite Tess's instance otherwise.

What felt like an eternity later, the elevator doors opened into the foyer of LuthorCorp and the universe obviously knew that he needed some kind of news because his phone rang.

"It's Lois," Vic blurted before he could ask for an update. "Bart picked her up and she's with Emil right now."

He broke into a sprint ignoring the daggers from other pedestrians as he brushed past them heading back to the Clock Tower, adrenaline pumping.

He heard Lois before he saw her. "Will you stop that! I'm fine it's just a scratch, Ollie tell Dr Do Good here to stop before I re science his magic wand."

Ignoring the stern glance from Emil he pulled her into a tight hug while launching several questions at her. "Are you okay, how is Chloe, how did you get away from Lex?"

"Lex! While I admit I enjoyed punching the bald bastard in the face he wasn't responsible."

Vindication. Wait WHAT. If not Lex then who?

-xxXxx-

Chloe's fingers trailed over the steel, the apparatus bringing back unpleasant memories. Still she was determined not to give her captor the satisfaction of seeing her falter even if she was more apprehensive since Lois has been forcibly removed and Lex invited to met 'the boss' leaving Chloe alone with nothing to do other than think about the worse case scenario.

The man with his back towards her had made no move to acknowledge her presence and well it was time to know what she was up against.

"Is this the part where you reveal who you are and tell me what maniacal plan you have in mind?" Since Lex's confession she had been thinking of all the people who could have the means and motivation to pull off her unwelcomed invitation. She'd narrowed it down to three persons.

The seat spun around slowly. "Good Afternoon Ms Sullivan or do you prefer Ms Sullivan-Queen. Personally I've never been a fan of the hyphenated surname, it denotes that the last part of your name could be dropped at any given time. Although given the circumstances of _your_ wedding in Vegas that would be unlikely wouldn't it."

_Seriously Universe._ She didn't bother to hide her astonishment, because _he_ wasn't one of her suspects, in fact the last time she had spoken to him it had been a one sided conversation.

"Lionel Luthor," the shock of seeing him animated catching her tongue momentarily "…it seems the permanency of your death was greatly exaggerated."

Lionel V2 walked out from behind his desk. "I assure you the Lionel Luthor you knew is still six feet under, a victim of his own noble misguided tendencies later in life."

With resurrection out that left her with two known possibilities how the man in front of her could be Lionel. He was either a visitor from another dimension, or given Lex's success rate at genetically engineering family members, a clone. She was leaning towards the later given his hint about what happened in Vegas.

"So Lionel 2.0 huh. Care to share with the rest of the class?"

"I'm the universes way of righting a grave wrong."

She mentally baulked at that. Regardless of her Lionel's new leaf his methods were still underhanded and well two wrongs never did make a right. "And what wrong would that be?"

"It's simple really. I want restitution."

She involuntarily shuddered. Her mind was going a thousand bits per second. Their Lionel had also wanted restitution, but she got the vibe that helping a band of superhero's out or protecting Clark's secret wasn't what _this_ Lionel meant and her current predicament gave an indication as to what type of man _this_ Lionel Luthor was.

She hid her apprehension as best as she could. "Restitution. Our Lionel had the same idea, tried to fix things up, before his untimely passing." She watched his face. He had the same facial features as Lionel but not the same expressions.

"Your Lionel was a _fool_ to turn his back on his own family for someone who will never belong to this world," he stated passionately. "I'm taking this new opportunity at my life to learn from my past mistakes and that starts with making things up to Lex."

Her eyebrow arched. "So Lex _is_ involved."

"In your invitation here. No. But I am sure that he will embrace me and what we can do for this world. You see Lex is a victim burnt by secrets and the betrayal that came with having those secrets kept from him. I plan on giving him the means to discover those secrets for himself, if he wants them. Then together we will set out doing what we should've in the beginning. Protecting the world from those that would have us think they were gods."

The sinking sensation kept growing in her belly but she had to ask. "I don't see what that has to do with me though."

"I doubt you would have accepted an invitation to chat just for old times sake. And well, lets be honest, you're a secret keeper of great importance."

"There is no secret I know that you don't."

"Perhaps but lets just say Lex would rather get the information from you than me …he thinks you are more trustworthy."

"So what are you going to do, plug us up and let Lex go rifling through my mind."

He moved to the other side of the steel apparatus. "Something like that. … All this equipment was commissioned by the military. We called it Project Intercept. It allows an integrator to connect to the subjects mind."

Her mind recalled reading about it in some old mission files. "Wait a minute, Project Intercept was mothballed because the interrogator kept dying."

"Minor point. I've made some improvements. My son will be quiet safe."

"And then what, happy reunion with all your children back at the mansion and you'll just let me go."

"Lex is really the only child I am interested in getting reacquainted with…"

Rarely had she felt pity for anyone surnamed Luthor, but this was one of those moments, her mother heart bled for those children who would never know a father's love.

"As for you, I'm going to give you the opportunity to start over, after all I'll be wanting my assets back."

Two labs coats came for her and she deftly dispatched them without a second thought and made a beeline for Lionel, getting in his face. "Oliver won't let you get away with this, letting Lex know who Clark is, is not in the world's interest."

"Frankly my dear I don't give a damn what you think. I should have never believed that a child from the stars was going to be my salvation in any universe and my predecessor made a grave error in judgment in taking that side. As for your so called husband… every single version of Oliver Queen that I have ever met has not been worthy of Chloe Sullivan's devotion or loyalty and I don't believe this one is any different. But don't worry, the Oliver Queen where you're going is quiet broken and might just welcome a familiar face."

Lionel's confession about other universes caused her to revise his origin. With several men now holding her she spat in his face, a small kick against her womb and a feeling of 'go mom' spurring her on. "You're nothing but an impostor. Our Lionel was actually a decent human being in the end, but you're never going to be that. How many billions of lives and worlds have you ruined?"

"Like I said the universe gives us opportunities to right past wrongs." Motioning to the two lab coats that had gotten themselves off the floor. "Let's do this gentlemen."

-xxXxx-

Oliver secured the hood of his vest and did one last minute check of his equipment, turning around to face John and Mary. Everyone else was suited up and awaiting the go ahead for the rescue mission having gone over the plan several times.

"Thanks for doing this John." Looking down at a small parcel of belongings that Lionel had requested in exchange for Chloe including a mirror box and the Veritas journals residing in the Martians hands.

"You didn't need to ask."

"Yes I did, this is somehow my fault. I just…I've been ungrateful to our Lionel… gah everything was such a mess in the beginning ….and maybe I don't deserve people who are home for me…maybe him taking her is my punishment for being ungrateful…but I can't lose Chloe or our baby."

When Lois had told him what had really happened, he had felt the life being sucked out of him. It was a cruel twist that the Lionel of this earth had given them so much and the inter dimensional version was so eager to take it away. He wondered if he had bought it on himself by voicing the possibility of another Lionel the night he and Chloe first stayed at the Villa.

Mary stepped in and pulled her son-in-law close to her. "You are one of the most grateful people that I know. You've never failed any of us and I don't think today will be the first. Chloe knows you love her, no matter what is thrown in her face. The two of you are the strongest people that I know, and she loves you… fiercely." She kissed him on the cheek and squeezed John's arm warmly knowing that the older man had a few things to say to Oliver before going to get ready. This was one mission she was going in the field for.

"So if everything goes horribly south, you'll take care of my girls…." he pleaded his brown eyes meeting red.

"Your tactical plan is sound and if things do go horribly south they will be aimed at me, rather than you. The plan is for no one to see you."

"I know I just, I didn't want it left unsaid though."

John looked up at the stars reverting briefly to his true form. "Before I came to earth. I had a family, a daughter too. I was powerless to stop them from being taken from me. Mary, Chloe, your daughter and you are part of my family now and I am not powerless this time. From one father to another, you will not suffer the same the fate as me while I have breath." Shimmering into the form of Oliver and ready to be the body double. "Now lets go get our girls."

**To be Continued**

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><p>We have three chapters to go - unless the chapter count goes up again (lol). Make a girls day - I would love a hundred reviews by the time the story is finished.<p>

Next Chapter - **Keep Holding On**


	13. Keep Holding On (Part 1)

**AN:** Thank you to those who alerted the story since the last chapter was posted in September...For those of you who have been following the story since I posted in January 2012, I went back and did a bit of a polish on chapters 1-12 to help the story flow better before I posted this chapter if you're interested in reading (I haven't changed any major plot points, just taken some out that didn't end up going anywhere and worked with some of the dialogue)

Thanks to Hellza On Earth for reading the draft of this chapter. Any mistakes are all mine though.

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><p><strong>Chapter 13: Keep Holding On (Part 1)<strong>

_So far away, I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close and it comes to an end, With you by my side I will fight and defend._

_Keep holding on 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong 'cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. Nothing you could do There's no other way when it comes to the truth.– Avril Lavinge_

_Metropolis, 18th June 2012 (late evening)_

Oliver looked at the last rays of the summer sun as they were splayed on the horizon in soft pastel shades, the edges of color touching the evening sky for the last few moments of the day before it genuinely became night.

While he had watched many a beautiful sunset, he couldn't enjoy this one knowing where his wife was and the final moments before the sun no longer shone on there part of the world seemed more like hours. It was easier for them to work in the cover of night, to move around on the ground without being seen by the naked eye. Explosions were always more spectacular looking at night too and once they got who thy came for there was no way this facility was remaining intact to be another area 33.1.

_'I love you Chloe,' _he sent out_ 'I'm here, we're coming to get you." _He listened with both his ears and his heart and nothing, no acknowledgement that she had heard. Didn't make his statement any less true.

The communicator beeped. "Arrow – Manhunter's in position. We have a go."

-xxXxx-

Ten storey's under where her husband stood, Chloe struggled in vain against her restraints, the clanking sound failing to elicit any kind of reaction from the men in lab coats as they monitored a variety of screens and monitors around her. Her palms felt clammy as flashes of memory of another time and place where she had been strapped against her will interspersed with her current thoughts.

"Now Ms Sullivan… this won't hurt a bit," said the voice belonging to Lionel 2.0.

She eyed the needle warily, concerned about whatever that liquid was going to do to her baby. If anyone was aware that she was pregnant no one had said anything and she doubted announcing the fact would get her off the lab bed and back home with Oliver.

Then there was her concern about what effect the Luthor's hoped it would have on her. She briefly thought about her options to avoid having Lex rummage around in her head looking for a box labeled 'Top Secret' at all but realized save a timely rescue that Lex would at least attempt to try and find answers to the questions he had had for years. She shuddered inwardly at the inevitability that Lex was going to enter her mind.

He was such a liar, this Lionel. He intended to hurt her, hurt the people she cared about. He'd done it before, his comment about sending her to another Oliver…one he had left destitute… coming to the forefront of her thoughts. What he done to the other Chloe? To the other Oliver?

No. She mentally shook off those thoughts. She couldn't dwell on the fate of their parallel universe selves, she had more immediate concerns. Like her baby. Like Lex. And to breathe, she needed to stop holding her breath.

The tip of the needle was going to pierce her skin any moment now and her best strategy was to hold on to her hope. Oliver **_would _**come to get her out of here, she just needed to stay strong and make it through the situation.

She felt the icy liquid they had injected her spread through her veins, causing her extremities to go numb and making her want to close her eyes, an urge she fought. Some sort of sedative then, an attempt to put into her a dream state, thereby more pliable during the interrogation process.

_"I'm sorry munchkin," _she thought wishing she could rub her belly reassuringly. "_Daddy and I love you. You have to come out of this okay."_

Her half lidded eyes cast a glance at the reason why her daughter wasn't as safe as she would have liked. The last thing she heard before she completely slipped into her subconscious was a technician prepping Lex and going through his protocols as interrogator.

-xxXxx-

John grimaced, contorting the handsome face of Oliver Queen he was currently wearing, as two men working for Lionel patted him down. He was wearing a small device that looked like a shirt button that was relaying a visual image back to the team and Victor, who was working extracting building schematics from the data stream.

The mirror box and journals that had been requested and were the reason he was standing in this spot were taken somewhat forcefully from him. Lionel looking very smug. He didn't need his telepathy to know Lionel was thinking 'I have the Queens exactly where I want them…at my disposal,' his face said it all.

When he probed the surface of Lionel's physic he got a clearer picture of what was driving the man before him. This Lionel had also been an emissary of Jor-El in his original universe, but the time line of events had played out very differently.

He had used his title as emissary for his own self-serving purposes. His Chloe had found out that he was relaying false information to Kal-El and the team and she had been killed. Rather than stick around to face Justice he had stolen the mirror box and used it causing havoc on multiple worlds.

Finding an Earth where Lionel hadn't been alive had been unexpected and welcome. He had decided to stop running, embrace his own flesh and blood that he had previously discarded and pursue his idea of power. But in order to do that, Lionel had to correct what he perceived to be his doppelgangers mistakes.

This Lionel was as close to pure evil as John had encounter in all his years. His sliding from one reality to another had caused irreparable damage to many lives. Jor-El's choice of emissary to his son had always a questionable in his mind, a prime example of what could've gone wrong with Jor-El's choice was standing in front of him.

That their Lionel had chosen a different path, to essentially allow himself to be killed before giving up his secrets spoke to the man the Lionel Luthor of this Earth had tried to become.

John filed away all he had learnt about this Lionel. They would need to return him to his own dimension…if he lived to face justice and if they were to do that, they would need a certain son of Krypton' s help.

Pushing his mind further he searched for Chloe but was unable to find her and that was an immediate concern. If they were to late….., what would Oliver do.? What would Oliver do really if he was standing in this spot right now? He would demand.

Pushing the guards closest to him in a display of moving towards the inter-dimensional visitor he clenched his fists. "I gave you what you asked for, now I want to see Chloe…Lionel!"

He sensed the man was feeling that it would be very benevolent of himself to allow a husband one last look at his wife and was very grateful that it was he that was standing in Oliver's place.

About 20 minutes later he looked through the observation window, a feeling of rage ripping through him and a feral snarl leaving his lips. But he wouldn't have time to free her from her restraints, before Lionel 'got rid of him.' Sure enough he heard two bullets leaving the barrel of their respective guns – the target, his back.

Acting the part of the fallen, he allowed his body to slump to the ground, the illusion of blood adding to the charade that Oliver Queen was taken care of. Obviously satisfied with their work two men grabbed his legs and moved him onto a waiting gurney.

He sought out Chloe's mind again and was able to touch her psychic. Fatherly pride replaced the rage as he observed how she was handling the invasion of her psychic, all the mental training that they had done proving useful.

While the Luthor's may have thought a heavily sedated Chloe would provide an easier way to extract the secrets that she guarded with her life, Lex was finding that nothing about the scenario he was in was as expected. For the moment both she and the baby were okay and he could let the others know.

_'Keep holding on,' _he sent on a thread to her mind. '_We are coming for you.'_ He hoped she heard him, her current condition explaining why he couldn't get through to her earlier.

-xxXxx-

John's assuring message echoed within the walls of her sub-conscious providing her with an infusion of encouragement as she returned to observing the intruder in her mind from the shadows of the setting she had created.

A green and gold legal lamp provided the illumination to the setting, which was her 'Study' at the Villa in Star City. The beauty of this room was that while it appeared to be a well-loved personal space, it really was just for show. A room that looked the way it did because that was what was expected of a person of her affluence.

Personally she preferred to work in Oliver's office, even when he wasn't there, the couch in his office now draped in two throw over's to hide the stains her coffee mug had inadvertently left. But Lex didn't know that intimate little detail of their lives and she didn't want him to. She had more than just the team roster and what abilities they had to protect.

Lex on entering through the red door that linked their minds appeared to have been genuinely puzzled at her absence. He had obviously come expecting a confrontation of sorts, but he had been content to be in a space that looked like she occupied it on a regular basis and spent time shuffling the papers on her desk, looking through the books on the shelves. He seemed especially pleased when he located a file on her computer labeled Veritas.

While her original plan had involved giving him a number of up slaps on the side of the head and then using the Martian mind numb hold to essentially render him comatose, those actions would have required her to be close to him and the thought right now repulsed her.

Leading Lex on in this fashion was _almost_ as satisfying as slapping him would have been. She grinned as she saw Lex's face as he tried to access the Veritas File on her computer– **Access Denied**.

"Chloe," he called out into the empty room. "You probably think you're being very clever…but your forgetting a very important thing."

She held her tongue, as tempting as it was to bite at his invitation for a response.

Lex pressed his lips together and rose from the table, making his way back towards the red doorway that had allowed him in.

Seeing that he was headed back, Chloe was a little concerned. While she didn't want Lex hanging around any longer, she couldn't have him whining back to daddy that the procedure didn't work just yet. There would be no telling what they might do to her then.

Needing to stall him from making an exit stage right, her guest found himself at the beginning of a maze that was between him and the door leading back to his own body. For right now he was stuck until she decided to let him go.

The picture of Lex trying to crack the maze wall with his fist was….priceless. At least she got a moment of victory and damn if it didn't feel good to be back in control of something.

**_"CHLOE!"_**

-xxXxx-

Green Arrow put one foot in front of the other on the industrial piping that was broad and strong enough to allow him access to the room Lionel was using without being seen. People rarely looked above them without reason.

_"Baby I'm here… please be okay."_

He averted his eyes from his wife's still form except for the small rise and fall of her chest, knowing he would be unable to maintain his focus if he continued looking at her.

As it was the temptation to put one of his arrows in between Lionel's eyes was great, but John had hinted to a fate far worse than death for him, so he refrained, instead moving his body so that he was lying horizontal and could overhear what was being said.

"Both subjects vitals are stable Mr Luthor," one of the technicians confirmed.

"Good, another ten minutes and then give Lex the bell….I don't want to give Ms…"

The usual lighting flickered as the Amber lights began rotating. "Warning perimeter security breach."

Good, the others were progressing through the complex as planned.

Lionel shot a look of venom at his security chief ."Enact security protocol 32," he instructed, his voice clipped. The man left taking the two other armed guards with him. Pointing to a technician he barked, "give Lex the order to return now," while retrieving a .38 from one of the draws and loading it with Kryptonite bullets. He also pulled out a silver ball and put it in his pocket.

The technician pressed a few buttons and a couple of lights flashed. And nothing.

"Mr Luthor your, your son is not responding…."

"Damn it Lex! You get out of there or you will be left behind."

"Still no response sir."

"Then your services are no longer required."

He couldn't quiet see what Lionel had done to cause both men to go fall to the ground, tongues hanging out but he was now moving closer to Chloe, and that was something he wouldn't tolerate.

"Get. Your. Hands. Off her."

Lionel stilled at the digitized voice and seemingly did as he was instructed, his eyes scanning the room for the source of the voice.

The bowstring had been drawn back and the arrow aimed at Lionel's heart, the anger that he had been keeping in check now spilling over his internal barriers. He was so tired of Lionel Luthor fracking with his life, with Chloe's life and putting his baby girl in danger was unforgiveable. Letting go of that arrow would be so easy.

But Lionel's plans it seemed, didn't extend to standing still long enough to be a target. With a speed that surprised the green leather hero, Lionel hit the floor hard pulling out the little silver ball and tossing it in his direction whilst rolling the other way. He didn't have enough time to shield his head. The effect of the flash on his eyes was similar to that of having someone shine a bright torch point blank at them, and that was with the protection that his glasses gave him. The ringing in his ears caused him to drop to the ground though, making him vulnerable.

"Arrow. Arrow what's your status?" He was sure Mary was yelling. He closed his eyes willing them to readjust quickly and at least when he opened them he wasn't seeing stars.

Sitting up slowly he looked around the room. Damn it. "I've lost Lionel. He needs to be found."

"What about Chloe, I sense she is struggling?"

Even with all the commotion, Chloe hadn't stirred. Sure that they were in no immediate physical danger he moved to stand over Chloe and he wiped the beads of sweat of her forehead with his glove. Her skin was clammy to the touch and his heart clenched at her condition. With great efficiency he had the shackles binding her wrists ankles and abdomen undone, the imprints of where they had dug into her swollen ankles likely to be visible for some time.

Ranting about all the ways he could make Lionel pay wasn't going to help her now and he willed himself to answer the question asked in a clinical manner. "Chloe's breathing, but Lex is still connected to her… I don't' want to risk moving her."

"Talk to her…reassure her… we'll…"

Boom! The ground shook beneath him and a crack was rapidly moving across the far wall. What the hell? "Cyborg, immediate sit rep. I cannot move Chloe, repeat she cannot be moved from this location yet!" His eyes darted over to the monitors.

"There has been an explosion. Stand by Arrow, help is on its way."

No sooner had Cyborg said those words then he felt the familiar breeze of wind that accompanied Bart aka Impulse. Except, it wasn't Bart that was standing in front of him. "Boyscout?"

The formally plaid wearing farm boy gave a cursory nod to Oliver before taking in the scene. "We need to get them out of here."

"Hello to you too. Look I don't give a damn about Lex, but I am not putting Chloe in any further danger and you don't have the arm span to take them and all the equipment together."

Clark seemed to get his friend's dilemma. "I have an idea. You might want to get out of the way."

-xxXxx-

She felt Oliver's presence before she heard him ask her to be okay. Not that she had ever doubted him or the team for a minute. Eager to be rid of her guest the walls of the maze disappeared to reveal the red door.

Lex looked back into the darkness. "Don't think I'll forget this Chloe." He tugged on the handle of the door…. and it wouldn't budge.

For the first time that day…Chloe genuinely felt the panic rising and the exhaustion that she had been keeping at bay kick in. The door was supposed to open, Lex was supposed to leave…. And now, now it seemed that Lex was stuck in here with her.

"_Ollie?…Mom? John?….help me, please_."

"Yell all you want Chloe...I don't think they can hear you. But I can and I've been wanting to talk to you."

The person she had been avoiding was now standing in front of her, a wicked gleam in his eye.

**To be continued**

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><p>This chapter took a looong while to come together in a way that I was happy with. The bad news is I decided to split it because there are a lot of ends to tie up before we get to baby Chlollie (i've had the name picked out for over a year - any guesses?). The good news is that now my muse is co-operating again you shouldn't have to wait 4 months for an update.<p> 


	14. Keep Holding On (Part 2)

**AN: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved and alerted after the last chapter.

Thanks also the Hellza_on_Earth for pre-reading and for being a good sport when nothing she previously read actually ends up being posted. All mistakes are mine.

Quick Recap of the last couple of chapters- Chloe and Oliver have now been married for almost four years and are expecting a bundle of trouble. During Senator Kent's function at the Metropolis Library, Chloe and Lois were kidnapped by an alt Lionel Luthor, with Lionel wanting Chloe to expose her secrets about the world's hero's to Lex via a machine developed for project Intercept.

Lois is released and she promptly reports back to the JLA which have now assembled to save Chloe. The rescue is fraught with danger and only the timely appearance of a certain Boy Scout has saved Chloe and Oliver from being crushed. Chloe in the meantime is fighting the good fight against Lex who is currently inside her mind and Lionel is at large.

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><p><strong> Chapter 14: Keep Holding On (Part 2)<strong>

_So far away, I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close and it comes to an end, With you by my side I will fight and defend._

_Keep holding on 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong 'cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. Nothing you could do There's no other way when it comes to the truth.– Avril Lavinge_

_Metropolis, 19th June 2012_

Lex grabbed her arm her brief moment of despair replaced with the need to get away from him. She turned and tugged. "Let. Me. Go."

"No. Not until we talk," he replied as he spun her around and pulled her body flush against his. She flinched at the way he was smiling at her, not to mention their physical closeness. Him holding her like this was _so not_ okay with her. He'd left her with no choice and she was about to apply the Martian Mind Numb hold on him when her reality shifted unexpectedly.

Light, the color of freshly churned butter flooded a room where she was standing on the American Eagle. Holy crap she was in the Oval Office and Lex was standing behind the Resolute Desk dressed in a white suit. He looked straight through her before opening a side door and stepping outside.

Disoriented but curious none the less about what was going on especially because he either couldn't see her or didn't care she was there, she followed him into a field of sunflowers and then watched with horror as the entire crop withered and turned into a field of human remains at his touch, the sky loosing its butter hue replacing it with dark grays and angry looking purples reminding her of the storms that had ripped through Kansas on occasion. Instead of water though the rain clouds held big red drops of blood. And Lex looked calm, almost satisfied.

If those images weren't enough to raise her heart rate, four torn and tattered uniforms belonging to Impulse, Aquaman, the Blur and Green Arrow were flying in the distance, posters proclaiming Free from the Terrorists tacked underneath the flags.

A scream was fighting its way up through her throat but her reality shifted back just as abruptly as it had changed in the first instance. Lex was looking at her but didn't move, like he was frozen in time. Her mind raced for an explanation for what had just happened.

She hadn't tried to access his thoughts so somehow the additional up close and personal contact between them must have triggered some kind of physic bleed through effect. It was the only thing that made sense to her and since the scene that had played out in front of her hadn't been the past or the present…that left a glimpse of Lex's vision for the future and what a bleak dystopian future it was.

A world where the population had turned against heroes and her charismatic, loving, snarky, vibrant, full of life husband was dead? That Lex was POTUS?

Not on her watch.

She felt a breath on her cheek signaling the end of his frozen moment and he released his hold on her a little. She didn't have enough room to step away from him but she had a clear view of his face and he was wearing an enlightened expression, although it was unclear to her why.

"Well t_hat_ was interesting. Not at all the talk I imagined, but you've given me everything I need and more."

Crap oh crap. That threw her, it hadn't occurred to her that the physic bleed through could have been a two-way thing.

"All this time, what I need….is really in my own backyard," he said, clearly pleased with what he had learnt.

She went to move when her body gave way and she crumpled to the floor, every single nerve ending feeling like they were being seared against a white-hot flame. Lex crouched down beside her, a device in his hands.

"Did you really think that I didn't have any contingency plans to get the information I came for or to incapacitate you if I wanted? This is you after all, a girl that I have been dancing with in one-way or another since she started high school."

Back handed compliment aside this was a big underestimation as to how she thought having Lex in her head would unfold. She had been too soft, to passive and he had played her. She shoved those thoughts aside. She could self-analyze to her hearts content later.

"Suppose you think you're clever one now. The door was never stuck was it?" She asked her teeth clenched.

"No, classic Art of War. '_All warfare is based on deception'_. And now I have things to do, people to talk to…meteor rocks to harvest." He started towards the door.

Their little 'exchange of minds' had been brief and there were other things he still didn't know… about her, about her abilities, about the team infiltrating the facility Lionel had set up and their subsequent removal…because if he did he wouldn't be looking so smug.

"Oh and I wouldn't wait for any rescue. Lionel has already taken care of Oliver. I'm afraid your vision for a Queen family Christmas with your daughter is something none of you will be alive for, so enjoy the dream while you can."

That was a kick in the guts and she stopped breathing for a moment. Aside from the bad guy now having a blueprint to the league, playing it 'safe' earlier on had exposed her daughters mind to a mass murderer. '_I am so sorry munchkin, I didn't know._'

Damn him for threatening her family. And damn it, she hurt all over but she had to act before the opportunity was gone.

With her focus on Ollie and the people she wanted to protect from Lex she pushed past the pain she was feeling. Gathering what psychic strength she had, she unleashed it on a still self-satisfied Lex, the force of it hitting him with such ferocity that he was swept up from the spot he had been standing on, his body flying towards the red door with enough momentum to shatter it on impact before he even had a chance to blink.

Chloe looked towards the last place she had seen him, a sob of relief that he was gone escaping from her lips hoping she had done enough and then she slipped into darkness.

-xxXxx-

Oliver's eyes were wide. The monitors Chloe was hooked up to showing all kinds of different activity. "Emil?" he said more than a little alarmed.

The doctor took two strides from where he had been examining the data dump Cyborg had extracted from the machine, his two patients having shown no signs of change since Clark had dropped the FedEx truck and its occupants at the team's medical facility in Metropolis several hours ago, until now.

"Oliver, move," Emil barked as he checked vital signs and then checked the charts more than once. Oliver stepped back a little focusing on the monitor for baby Queen, the only one that had remained steady. That gave him some comfort.

After what seemed like an eternity Emil gave his verdict. "I can't answer the how just yet… but Lex and Chloe aren't linked any more. The sedative she was given is also wearing off. That's the good news. But Chloe's body and brain have shut down similar to how it does after she heals someone. Which would led me to conclude that what ever happened while they were linked was traumatic for her and this is her bodies way of coping."

Oliver swallowed ignoring the churning in his stomach and blinking back the liquid in his eyes. "But she'll be okay…right… her and baby?"

"Against the odds, by whatever grace Chloe has, your daughter appears to be unaffected by her mother's latest ordeal. But because her body is also protecting baby, it's also likely that as a consequence Chloe's recovery is going to be much slower than we are used to."

He swallowed and closed his eyes being overcome with a mixture of emotions, a single tear escaping out of the corner of his eye. It was not quiet the 'yes' he wanted to hear but he could work with it.

"One other thing you need to keep in mind," Emil added gently, "is that while she should physically recover, there is really no way to gauge the emotional or psychological side effects of what having Lex inside her head might be. You need to be prepared that she might not wake up as the same person."

His head snapped up looking directly at the partition that had Lex lying behind it. "Get him out of this room _now_ Emil."

The look of pure hatred on Oliver's face when he glanced in the direction towards his one time classmate was enough, Emil didn't need to be told twice and hastily removed the offending person.

Now that he was alone with his wife and they were relatively safe he knelt by her bed for a time, his head resting beside hers. He had been scared for them that maybe the Luthors would win and destroy what had been damn hard at times to build. He'd be lying if he said he still wasn't scared for her. What if she couldn't get past this experience and became a shell of her former self?

Stop it, he chided himself. He had access to people that could do really mind blowing things and they were family. Surely that had to count for something.

He absently moved a stray piece of hair on her face. Time to do something useful and seeing that he could make her more comfortable, he took her feet gently in his hands and started massaging them working his way up. This way when she woke up her limbs wouldn't feel so ridged.

He talked to her as he worked, giving her an update on the switch with John, Lionel sending him to his 'death', how Clark had made an incredibly timely entrance saving them from being buried under the rubble, the team's current efforts in locating Lionel and his struggle not to go into the next room and choke any remaining life out of Lex for doing this to her.

The only thing actually holding him back from _that _was the thought that Chloe would be disappointed in him if he chose to end the s.o.b's life when he was lying vulnerable still if she did have any lingering side effects…..

His diatribe was cut short by a voice in his mind. _"Her altercation with Lex will not leave any lasting scars on her mind Arrow."_

John.

"_And before you ask, no I did not read your mind. Mary surmised that you might be fretting and we wanted to reassure you."_

_"Thank-you. And thank-you for earlier. You got Clark out of the Fortress didn't you?"_

_"It was appropriate. We will need his help to talk to Jor-El if we are to bring this Lionel to Justice."_

_"Yeah, I don't know that the local PD can charge Lionel with inter-dimensional trespass and destruction of property. Not to mention illegal experimentation."_

_"No local dimensional justice system is equipped to handle this situation. But I was also an intergalactic bounty hunter in my past life and I believe there is an appropriate place for him to live out the remainder of his days. _

_"Really?"_

_"Really – but we need to find him first."_

_"Good hunting then."_

_"Get some rest Arrow. The coming days may yet be busy." _

And with that John was gone. Fatigue was setting in with the adrenaline rush that he had been on in the last day and half having being exhausted.

He dragged the recliner over to her bed placing a small kiss against her belly and one against the corner of her mouth. "I love you, both of you." Someone would come and get him when he was needed, until then he would stay by Chloe's side.

-xxXxx-

_A while later_

Clark had come to check up on them, the feeling of déjà-vu acute. When he had left almost four years ago, Chloe and Oliver had both been in a hospital room then too because of Lex Luthor.

The whole Oliver being shot and Chloe healing him experience at the time must have been _some kind_ of catalyst in their romantic relationship because according to Bart they had gotten married on the 30th of October. Less than three weeks later with a small intimate group in attendance made up of AC, Bart, Vic, Lois, Martha, Oliver's mentor Sam and this worlds Lionel Luthor.

And well it seemed like they had all come so far since he had seen them last, yet hadn't moved at all. Not that he had had a chance to talk to either of the blondes about it.

The smell of rosemary and roasted potatoes bought him out of his thoughts as did the hint of the Estee Lauder perfume that his mother favored. He turned around to see Martha Kent carrying a large catering tray and rushed to help her. She had been next on his list to see.

"Mom…Let me help."

Martha smiled, happy to see her son. "I was hoping see you. I heard you were around. "

He gave his mom a long hug. "I was coming to see you. How have you been?"

She squeezed his arm. "Good. Are staying long?"

"I don't know. Jor-El let me help because of the threat of a certain Kryptonian artifact."

"The mirror box," she said nodding her head. "I can't for the life me understand why Jor-El would leave something like that on Earth, on more than one Earth. Really it was just trouble waiting to happen."

He shouldn't have been surprised that his mom knew about the box. "I agree with the trouble part but Jor-El wasn't the mirror box's creator, Zor-El was and it was something that the Kryptonian counsel had ordered destroyed instead he stashed it here."

"Zor-El?"

"Jor-El's brother…also a brilliant scientist although prone to pushing boundaries…but really that's not so important right now."

"Not when someone is trying his hardest to make things difficult for people I care about."

"True." He held the tray out, "Where do you want this?"

"Kitchen. I was originally planning a quiet dinner at the farm with Chloe, Oliver and Lois. But with everything that's happened, the team will end up here sooner or later to be with Chloe and Oliver and well Emil has a habit of forgetting to eat when he's treating a patient."

"Such a mom, mom. I overheard Emil. Chloe should be physically fine."

"That's good to hear. She's in good hands though. Oliver will get heaven and earth moved for her if he has to, to get them through this."

"I can't believe they're married with a baby on the way…I mean they weren't even really dating when I left."

"Oliver cherishes Chloe and this baby is a much welcomed addition to the family. The way he looks at her…sometimes reminds me of the way Jonathan looked at me. Chloe is well loved and she has everything you could have ever wanted for her. As for their actual story both have been fairly vague on how we all ended up in Vegas, but they might tell you."

She knew him so well she had answered questions he hadn't asked but he hadn't missed the hitch in her voice when she spoke about her late husband.

"And what about you mom. Do you have everything?"

"I have plenty of work to fill my days, Lois to keep me in check and several friends who keep me from getting lonely. And in my spare time when I am waiting for my son to return I occasionally get to help out a team of hero's."

Clark had missed this, being around her positive and vivacious spirit. As for his best friend, he should be so lucky to find someone during his life who loved him as much.

"Stay strong Chloe," he murmured. "You have people here for you and I can't wait to talk to you again."

-xxXxx-

_Sommerholt Institute Metropolis, 28th June 2012_

Tess hurried down the hallway. She had been in England smoothing things over with a transaction that Lex had let slide due to his disappearance when Lana Lang of all people had contacted her to tell her that Lex had resurfaced.

The ex-wife hadn't been very forthcoming about the details only to say that he was much changed and that if Tess did any digging that _they _wouldn't be so kind in the future and that all the ugly evidence of how he came to be like this would come to light.

Tess could only surmise that by _they_ she had meant the Queen's and she had yet to determine if she wanted call the bluff. She stopped outside a door and knocked before pushing the door open. The staff had also warned her that he was very different from the man about town that they had seen.

The room was like any other sterile hospital room, void of warmth or personality. Her brother was sitting on the bed in white scrubs flicking through a comic.

"Hi, what's your name?"

She remained calm, years of not flinching in the boardroom having helped with that. "Lutessa, but you can call me Tess."

"You're pretty." She smiled at that. He was so…childlike. "I'm Alexander." He stuck his hand out for her to shake it. Which she did.

"Are you here to read to me?"

"Um I…I could do that. What story would you like?"

He pulled open the draw beside the bed. "The nurses borrowed these from the children's ward. "

Jack and The Beanstalk, Peter Pan, Duck Tales and a Warrior Angel Graphic Novel. She was starting to get the scope of how much Lex had changed.

He put Peter Pan in her hands. "I want to be the boy who never grows up," he said smiling.

There was such an innocence about him, not single trace of a hard business man who had taken over the Luthor Dynasty. She blinked fast holding the tears back. "This is one of my favorites too. Before I start can you tell me how old you are?"

"I'm Five….."

She was silent for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. Things could be decidedly much worse… Opening the front page she began. "_All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this_."*

Lex just beamed at her like she was his new best friend.

-xxXxx-

_The Clock Tower, Metropolis, 16th July 2012_

Unbelievable he was a world leader in technology and the screen looked completely white. "Hey honey I don't think this is going to work. The only thing I am seeing is a lot of snow and ice."

He couldn't see her, but had a feeling that she was laughing at him. Sure enough went he went to their bedroom she had a big grin on her face.

"All that snow and ice might have something to do with the fact that the Fortress is in the Arctic."

"Very Funny," he said as he kissed her. She had been home now for two weeks, confined to bed rest except for an hour a day and she had wanted to be moved to the sitting room for this.

She wriggled up the bed until she was in a sitting position and then swung her legs over the bed, her now very obvious baby bump pushing the fabric of her smurf nightgown out. Each day she felt stronger but it would still be a while until she was back to doing everything at warp speed.

After she was positioned comfortably on the couch she smiled again as Bart came into focus. "See nothing to worry about. Everyone's there and in one piece."

"Well, I wanted the streaming to be perfect for date night."

"Maybe next week we can just get Thai food and a movie."

"Hell yes, by next week this whole inter-dimensional saga will be behind us. It would be nice to do something normal for a change without a Luthor popping up and throwing a curve ball."

"You better touch wood Ollie...Tess is still after you for some answers about Lex."

He grabbed a wooden bowl. "So any idea what's going to happen, John was kinda tight lipped?"

"Not really other than several Jor-El's across the muti-verse have agreed on a suitable punishment for Lionel. And I think we will have our answer soon enough." Her eye's darting to the screen.

They watched as Lionel was contained in a ray field and image of Jor-El before him.

"_Lionel Luthor, you have been caught in an acts unbecoming of your status as our emissary to Earth. Indeed many witnesses have attested to your contempt of the gifts, powers and knowledge bestowed upon you resulting in the loss of life and in some cases even the destruction of civilizations. The council between Jor-El's of the worlds you have tainted is unanimous and we declare you guilty of murder and treachery._ _Your punishment is to spend the remainder of your days in the intergalactic prison know to us as the Phantom Zone."_

Lionel remained defiant. "Do your worst Jor-El."

A burst of light and he was gone and wherever this Phantom Zone was, Oliver hoped it was enough of a punishment for all the trouble faux Lionel had caused.

**To be Continued **

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><p><strong>* <strong>Taken from Peter Pan the illustrated edition by JM Barrie. I don't not own the rights to Peter Pan just borrowing the opening lines

**AN 2: **Thanks for sticking with the story everyone, other plot bunnies wanted to take over and I had a battle to make them 'wait there turn for a new story because they didn't belong in this one' yesh. A lot closer now to those two words that authors write when a story is completed. :-p

**Next Chapter: Don't want to Miss a Thing (We meet baby Queen)**


	15. Don't want to Miss a Thing

**One step closer to **_A Beautiful Lie_ coming to an end. Big thank you to those who faved and followed since the last chapter was posted and of course those who elected to follow or leave review over the months that the story has been in progress - wouldn't have lasted this long without you and please continue to do so for the remaining chapters!

As promised though we do get to spend some time with the Queens and the newest edition to the family before the story is over :-p

Also couldn't quite put my finger on it but I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter although it does everything I wanted it to. Hopefully you still enjoy it.

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><p><strong>Chapter: 15: Don't Want To Miss a Thing<strong>

_Lying close to you feeling your heart beating, And I'm wondering what you're dreaming, Wondering if it's me you're seeing, Then I kiss your eyes, And thank God we're together, I just want to stay with you in this moment forever, forever and ever_

_I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep, Cause I'd miss you babe, And I don't want to miss a thing, Cause even when I dream of you, The sweetest dream will never do, I'd still miss you babe, And I don't want to miss a thing – Aerosmith_

_Queen Villa, 23rd October 2012_

Eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling Oliver accepted he wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight and carefully pushed the bedcovers off him sitting on the edge of the bed hoping he had avoided waking his wife.

"Ollie?" she murmured reaching for him. Obviously his hope had been in vain. "It's 4.30 am, are you going to come back?"

He rubbed her arm, her skin still cool and clammy. "Sorry I woke you. I can't sleep so thought I would hit the gym." She gave him a small smile grabbing his pillow hugging it to her and he placed a feathered kiss on her cheek. Getting dressed quickly he made his way to the gym, his mind going over what he needed to accomplish today before an evening with friends, a birthday day off unfeasible this year.

So engrossed in his thoughts he didn't hear the, "Morning, birthday boy, catch."

His automated reflexes kicked in though and he caught a stick inches from his face. He looked up startled by his mother-in-law wearing dark navy blue sweats.

"Morning Mary, your up early." She and John had been staying in the guesthouse since he and Chloe had chosen to make the Villa their main residence on returning to Star City, an arrangement that was working out incredibly well.

"Not exactly the workout I had in mind when I came down here," he said as he twirled his stick.

He could see that right now Mary was channeling her inner warrior princess and she was seriously badass in that mode, as several of Star City's citizens in current lock up could attest.

She twirled her own stick. "More like up late. I need this. There is something cathartic about sparring even though it's not the person or thing you really want to take things out on though. John offered but I saw you coming and you look like you could use a good workout yourself."

"Bad night in the field?"

"Putting it mildly. How about you, what's preventing a birthday morning sleep in?"

"The Luthor's," he said gritting his teeth. He had thought his sleepless nights because of them were over. Again a hope in vain.

LuthorCorp's gain had been directly aligned with the drop in Queen Industries profits; something that Tess had assured the shareholders was completely sustainable. From a personal wealth perspective it all worked out for him, as a matter of personal pride it irked him.

Then there were the constant requests for their input into the Lionel Luthor story being developed by HBO, in particular Lionel's godfather like actions relating to their wedding present. And while he could admit that Lionel's life would hold a particular appeal to those in charge of entertainment he didn't appreciate the constant reminder of the man's crimes against his family. Nor could he publicly point those crimes out and he hated feeling like he was dancing to Lionel's tune. Chloe may have made her peace with him a long time ago, but he certainly hadn't.

But the big one was Chloe's recovery. It had indeed been much _longer_ than either of them had anticipated. Emil had finally surmised that until her body could stop dividing its attention between trying to heal her and keep baby healthy that she wouldn't get back to 100%.

"So how about it?" Mary asked motioning at the sticks and bringing him out of his musing.

Knowing that she could hold her own he held his hand out for another stick and began the warm up. She fell in beside him, her movement fluid and graceful. They bowed and she opted for first attack and the sound of the sticks meeting each other echoed off the walls in an uneven rhythm. Five minutes in he jumped back, the escrima stick just missing his groin.

"If I didn't know better I would say you're fine with the idea of only ever having one grandchild." He swung his stick upwards.

She counter attacked his move easily, stick to the stomach and sweeping him off his feat, one knee on his chest. "Not at all but my teacher did say to take advantage of any and every opening I can."

"So he did. One, zero. So who or what is it that you wished you were really taking this out on?"

"No one person. We had three really bad cases called in tonight…and sometimes it just really gets to me that people can hurt those they claim to care about that way."

He nodded his head understanding; he saw enough of the depraved side of human nature as Green Arrow. Mary and John saw it as part of their day jobs as well. She was right; both of them needed to blow off some steam. So they continued.

But as the sun crept across the sky pent up frustration gave way to a test of endurance and he had to admit she was working him just as hard as he was working her. They had been blocking, attacking ducking, striking, rolling and dancing for three hours, their remaining clothes saturated in sweat. Finally she had him back on the floor a stick to the throat.

He could of got out of it but instead signaled time, the session having more than met its purpose. Learning some new moves had been a bonus and he couldn't help feel a little surge of pride in how far his student had come.

Leaning against the wall, breathing hard she asked, "Are you sure? 'Cause I love the idea of having a story to tell my granddaughter about the day I wore you out in an escrima challenge and you called time?" Gone was the warrior princess, now she had the same mischievous look in her that Chloe got on occasion. Like mother like daughter and probably granddaughter. Oh lord he was going to be in trouble if all three of them pulled that look on him at the same time in the future.

"I'll deny it and say it was for grandma's own safety," he joked as he grabbed a towel and pulled her into a sweaty embrace before she could retort, a wave of love for the women in front of him engulfing his heart. "Thank you. For always knowing when to be here for us."

She held him for a while before ruffling his hair a little. "Ditto. So, I'll see you tonight?"

Grinning he kissed her cheek and left the room heading towards the kitchen the adrenaline still flowing through his veins. He went through a mental inventory of their kitchen wondering what Chloe would feel like for breakfast when she got up and what he could make her.

His feet stopped moving though when he heard the faint tune of _happy birthday _getting_ closer_. The corners of his mouth curved upwards as the love of his life, waddled towards him, holding a jumbo cup cake complete with singing candle. A large smile formed on her face when she saw him.

"Happy Birthday Romeo," she said as presented the cake to him and she stood up on her tiptoes kissing him ignoring the sweat. "Sorry I wasn't more coherent when you got up, otherwise I would have told you then."

"It was very early even for us and it's still early for you." He kissed her twice again leaving her a bit breathless and he loved that he could still do that to her. "But, you and a cake are my birthday wishes. Thank you," he said as he blew the candle out and placed the cake on the closest bench.

Her cheeks were flushed and she looked a little guilty. "Well the cake was all John. I was supposed to put the cream on top but you know…"

He laughed. Chloe eating cream had very much been a constant part of her pregnancy and was small reminder to him that things weren't as dire as they could be.

"I was told you were with mom. She didn't beat you up too badly did she?" she asked looking over him.

"Pftt, what makes you think she could?" he said even as he could feel several muscles stiffening. She raised her eyebrows, and smirked. Of course she knew her mother could. "John didn't stay for breakfast?"

She shook her head. "No he was going to work out with mom some more if she wanted to and then had a couple of things to do."

"If your mom goes another couple of rounds I'm getting a plaque made for her with Wonder Woman on it. But if you're not starving I would really like to put all those massaging jets in our spa to use otherwise I might be doing a robot walk tomorrow. Then maybe we can try the cake out?"

"Wonder woman huh, she'd like that," she chuckled. "Breakfast can wait and a massaging spa would be great for my back. Mind if I join you…for environmental purposes of course?"

"For environmental purposes only," he agreed happy to have more them time before he headed to the office, picking her up bridal style effortlessly. One of the ongoing consequences of her lack of recovery being that she was all baby and hadn't really put on any weight at all.

"You know, walking is a currently approved physical activity," she quipped but didn't struggle, his long strides covering the distance quickly. It was also the second time he had seen that mischievous Lane look this morning.

He carefully set her down on the bathroom floor, and helped her undress while the tub filled with water. She unstopped one of the fragrance bottles that smelled like fresh pine and added a few drops before sinking into the tub while he had a quick shower to wash the sweat off.

Getting in behind her, she leaned into him, her head close to his heart. Yeah he could stay in this moment all day, but again that was a luxury he didn't really have. He opened his eyes to see her frowning at the purple patch forming on his upper torso her fingers running lightly over it.

"So, mom didn't beat you up at all huh?"

"Not really…. it was a lucky shot… It's not a big deal…besides you know that I've had a _lot _worse. You've had a lot worse," he added quietly his fingers tracing her wrists and arms both still showing the bruising from struggling against the restraints all those months ago.

"I know…but I don't like it when you get hurt." A sentiment he totally agreed with.

She put her nimble fingers to the task of massaging the areas of his body that the jets didn't get to and he suppressed a moan. It felt wonderful to have her this close, wet and naked with her hands all over him and his body was humming at the attention being paid to it. But if she kept at it, returning the favor was number one on the unapproved activities list and that wasn't fair in his book.

He moved slowly until he was behind her again and began to rub circles gently on her back effectively cutting her off from what she had been doing.

"You didn't have to do that Ollie. I feel fine right now. Please don't spoil my opportunity to look after you for change. It is your birthday after all." Her voice soft and eyes pleading with his.

His lips met her shoulder, the mischievous look she had given him now making sense. "And I appreciate that you would be willing to break our tacit agreement for such an occasion, but you're just taking advantage of a situation. You have something else in mind, your original plan A?"

She pretended to pout at being thwarted for all of thirty seconds before turning to face him. "Fine Mr no-birthday-fun," her voice taking on her in-charge cadence, "I've made a couple of calls and cleared your schedule for today."

He stilled. There was no way he could…..

She pressed her lips to his. "Shut up Ollie, I know that you're going to say you're too busy blah blah, but all of it has been taken care of and when you go back tomorrow I promise you won't be behind…..So what do you want to do today birthday boy?"

His head moved from left to right and back again, grin on his face. His wife was amazing.

-xxXxx-

Chloe typed one last photo tag in the baby scrapbook she had been keeping. The photo not even a minute old. _Dad passed out on his birthday – no alcohol involved._

Oliver was now sleeping soundly beside her completely exhausted. A small smile played across his mouth and she wondered what he was dreaming about as she resisted the urge to kiss him even though he was utterly kissable. Instead she snuggled beside him thankful that she had been able to rearrange his crazy schedule to spend the day with him, a few close family and friends joining them for a late evening birthday dinner.

She ran her fingers through his hair and studied his face. A few more fine lines had appeared on his forehead in the more recent months. Wisdom lines he called them but she knew that a good part of them had been because he had been worried for her and their baby girl and that his concern had caused a great deal of sleeplessness. Something that she hoped wouldn't persist, especially after today.

Right now though he had such a peaceful expression and she felt such a surge of happiness. She had meant it then and she meant it now. She was so glad he was the man that she had married. "Sweet dreams my knight in shining leather. Everything will be alright, you'll see."

-xxXxx-

_Star City Medical, 24th November 2012_

One of the nurses secured a cap over her head and secured her IV line, a wave of anxiousness hitting her at Oliver's absence. Ten minutes until they were going to wheel her into the theatre and this is not what they had planned at all.

Oliver had been called to an urgent meeting at the QI offices in Singapore and being that she was still three weeks shy of her delivery date she had sent him on his way. He'd been flying over the middle of the pacific when her water broke and that was creating all kinds of logistical nightmares getting him back here. Damn, she wished WatchTower's transporters were on line….but that was at least two years down the track and not much use to her at the moment.

"He'll be here …do you want me to _tell_ you to calm down?"

Chloe bit her lip and looked at her mom. "Couldn't you have just told my water not to break?" Good her snark was still intact.

"Ah sweetie, baby queen is ready to meet you and a royal command from her grandmother wasn't going to stop her. Besides when has an order ever really stopped us Lane-Sullivan's from doing what we _wanted_."

"We can be stubborn can't we?"

"More often than not." Mary smiled and in that instant she could hear Oliver calling for her. "See I told you he would be here," her mother reaffirmed.

Chloe could feel the relief showing on her face as he burst through the doors with a trail of security puffing after him. Emil rolled his eyes and went to presumably call them off.

"Hey you okay, you look like your favorite color."

He knelt down beside her bed."I'll be fine…I'm here now. How are you?"

"Better now you're here, I was afraid that you wouldn't be."

Mary came over and held both their hands a quiet moment passing between the three of them. In less than an hour the newest addition to their family was going to be joining them and although she had been clam throughout her daughters pregnancy, she was excited. They all were, now that they were over the shock of the event occurring earlier than they were expecting.

She left the room wordlessly allowing the soon to be parents a few moments to themselves.

"I love you," they said in unison and Oliver mated their foreheads together until it was time, words inadequate to express the emotions they were going through.

-xxXxx-

_Oliver Queen and his wife Chloe Sullivan-Queen are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter. Mother and baby girl are doing well -_ he had texted to his PR team and private list a few moments ago.

"She's a beautiful lass and weighs in at 8.38 lbs and is 19 inches long. A heart breaker for sure, you two are going to have your hands full," the nurse, Pat had commented before placing a much quieter baby into Oliver's expectant arms. He had immediately scooted closer so that their daughter was equal distance between them working her hands out from under the blanket.

"You do great work professor," he said kissing her. It wasn't hard for her to see that he was completely enthralled and a little teary. Being able to physically hold their baby and see her in person obviously was emotional for him and she was again profoundly grateful that he could be here, knowing full well that if it had of been any other multi-millionaire money couldn't buy a 7 hours trip condensed into a couple of minutes.

"Not so bad yourself Romeo," she had replied, the discomfort she was feeling from being stitched up nothing compared to the euphoria at looking into her baby's eyes or holding her hand for the first time marveling at how soft her skin was.

"Hi munchkin look at you…you have your dad's chin dimple, and the shape of his eyes."

Oliver smiled a little at that but added, "she's just beautiful, like her mom."

"Flatter."

"Truth. So what are you thinking of naming her, now that she is here?" he'd asked referring to the fact she had beaten him at rock, paper, scissors to have the final say when they couldn't decide. She looked at their daughter.

Oliver had wanted Grace because Emil's words the time Chloe had been bought to the teams Metropolis medical centre had been on his mind. 'Against the odds, by whatever grace Chloe has, your daughter appears to be unaffected by her mother's latest ordeal.' Plus over the years he had often said that Chloe had been his saving grace. It was also kind of timeless and he liked that.

She had favored Ever because as their daughter she was now part of their forever after and it had been that thought of forever, of a happy family that had given her the strength to protect that dream and do what she needed to do when the Luthor's had yet again threatened to derail their lives.

Artemis, Sophie and Mia were possible middle names but somehow, none of those felt right, which had bought her back to their original dilemma, Ever or Grace? Baby's mouth turned upwards at the same time she was thinking about Grace and the solution to their naming dilemma became clear.

"Her name is Grace, Grace Ever Sullivan-Queen."

"Grace Ever," he repeated reverently. "I like it but are you sure, Ever was your first pick?"

"I'm sure, it feels right. Look she likes it." The newly named Grace was gurgling. "Welcome to the family Gracie."

**To be continued**

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><p><strong>Final Chapter to come - Amazing Grace<strong> We learn what trigged Oliver's journey to make peace with Lionel and where the rest of the gang are at (including Clark). I have the next chapter half written and I have given myself a deadline but RL sometimes waylays the best of intentions.

Thanks to Hellzz on Earth - because she is an awesome supporter of Chlollie stories and in the initial planning stages of this story encouraged me not to give up.


	16. Amazing Grace

Thank you everyone...

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><p><strong>Epilogue: Amazing Grace<strong>

_Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me_

_I once was lost but now am found_

_Was blind, but now I see - John Newton (Lyrics)_

**_Metropolis, 22nd October 2013_**

Chloe waved as she spotted Clark exiting the revolving doors to the Daily Planet and started to move towards him. Her hand went to her mouth as he promptly bumped into a delivery guy sending a stack of boxes went everywhere.

Oops.

When Lois had told her about her friend being a bumbling reporter Chloe hadn't believed it. Now seeing it first hand, it took a moment for her to reconcile the persona he now portrayed to the world with her knowledge that he was the newly dubbed _Superman. _The guy who was faster than a speeding bullet, rescuer of damsels in distress and kittens everywhere complete with cape and tights.

_'You say I wear tights' Oliver had commented one day looking at the latest news headlines, 'Clark wears tights and I don't see you commenting on his costume.' _Chloe wouldn't dare. Martha had put a lot of love into that suit and had based it on a description that Clark had given her of what they had worn on Krypton.

"Are you okay?" she asked the delivery guy. He just took the package and nodded.

"I'm, I'm sorry about that," Clark apologized.

"Just be more careful next time." Clark nodded and walked a little way off, Chloe beside him finally turning around to hug her.

Bumbling persona or not there was nothing quiet like a Clark Kent bear hug and Chloe had missed them.

"Our old coffee shop okay, do we have much time?"

"Sure, you know I will never say no to coffee. I just need to be back before Ollie's meeting at LuthorCorp this afternoon. So how's your second week as a mild mannered reporter going?"

"Well. So far I've bumped into two delivery guys – not including the one just then."

"And?" she prompted.

"Stopped three bank robberies, to many muggings and car jackings to mention, a Chemical Fire at the old LuthorCorp plant and handed in my third city beat piece," he added modestly.

"Not bad."

He tilted his head as if to listen.

"Do you need to leave?" she asked knowing he was still trying to find a rhythm to this version of his double life.

"No, it's not something I need to get involved in." They continued walking. "Thank you again for talking with Perry."

"I just mentioned you were looking for a position. He remembered you from high school."

"He also remembers you from high school and then working with you on the Hour, in particular the story on stolen identifies. Told me I had big shoes to fill."

Chloe smirked. That story had not only been one of the defining moments of her short career in journalism, but the beginning of her relationship with Oliver. That Clark would have his own defining career moments or wouldn't be an asset to Perry's team was never a question she had.

"Considering your feet are already bigger than mine, that should be no problem," she teased.

He snorted and changed topics. " So any new pictures of my goddaughter?" She smiled and pulled out her phone so she could show him the latest.

-xxXxx-

Oliver was on parent duty while Chloe was out and had so far pulled his fingers away from his daughter's mouth several times, having learnt from first hand experience that she had cut two new teeth while he had been away. He did not want more teeth marks.

In addition to the two teeth, he had it on good authority that she had really started to crawl. Although so far she had been content to play on her blanket with him and look through her picture book.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and given that he had blocked all but a few numbers this morning he fluffed her mop of dark blonde curly hair and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry baby, I need to take this phone call. "

"Da." He blew her a kiss as her little hand moved from side to side waving him off.

"Morning, Sam," he said shifting his focus to the skyline views and letting his callers words sink in. They had been chatting for about a minute or so when he turned back to look at the blanket expecting Grace to be doing something he would find adorable.

Instead the blanket was empty.

"Ah Sam," his eyes darting about the room until they spotted her. She was crawling towards the giant potted palm. His baby was crawling. Fast. He watched captivated as she pulled herself into a kneeling position, his hand doing a small fist pump that he had been here to see it. He continued watching as small handfuls of dirt were shoveled in her mouth. Ugh. Was she still hungry? Although he remembered reading that children at this age really just liked putting things into their mouth.

Hang on why was he still standing away from her? Bad parent. "I need to call you back," he said as he ended the call, his reflexes going into rescue mode.

He moved swiftly grabbing the little darling and sat her on the bench next to the sink, one hand around her waist the other under her mouth with a cloth. "Gracie, dirt's yucky spit it out."

She screwed her nose up at him and then smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling before the dirt drool started coming out of her mouth and two grubby hands planted themselves all over his shirt.

"Mmmm."

"Really out of all the international cuisine available to you, you think dirt is mmm huh? You know if you're going to eat anything from a garden I recommend snails in herb and garlic butter. But slugs are just as yucky as dirt," he finished somewhat conspiratorially. Something else he knew from first hand experience…but he wasn't telling her about his time on the island until she was much older.

She snuggled into him giggling, wiping her mouth over his already ruined shirt and looking back up at him cheekily waiting to see what he would do now. His insides just melted like an ice cream cone on a hot summer's day. No amount of pictures and media files compared to actually being present for these hugs and smiles.

From the moment she had been placed into his arms only minutes old he had been wrapped around her little finger and he hadn't wanted to miss anything. He was just grateful that he hadn't missed too much of her growing up in the last eleven months, his most recent business trip the longest he had been away from his family in that time.

"Dada."

"Daddy loves you Gracie," he said as he lifted her up blowing raspberries on her stomach, leading to the simultaneous clapping of hands and baby laughter. He finished cleaning her up and feed her, grateful he hadn't bothered with the shirt because sure enough he had ended up with baked apple on it.

When she tried for his fingers again he found her teething ring. "Here you go, bite on that," he said. She compiled after grabbing the object hesitantly. The look on her face as she realized that the ring was cool and squishy was priceless.

Click. He captured the moment on his phone camera and forwarded it to Chloe tagging it '_something she likes better than my fingers this morning'. _

Now completely covered in drool she tried to hand the ring back to him. "Da."

"It's all yours baby," he said as he gently pushed her hand back towards her mouth. She crawled into his lap giggling, again rubbing her drool covered mouth all over his shirt and then looked utterly content to be in daddy's arms with her chew toy. He sat for a while closing his eyes while humming a tune and gently rocking her.

Hearing the thud of the ring against the floor he opened his eyes and checked the time. 12:00 pm. Wow they had literally played the morning away. He got up carefully and moved towards her nursery passing several pictures that Chloe had put up including one of his favorites which was a black and white of Mary, Chloe & Grace taken when Grace had started to sit up. This particular print was now in all three of their homes.

Next to it was a photo that always made him want to laugh. Grace in a space capsule and her 'uncles' Bart, AC & Victor dressed as mad scientists looking like they didn't know what to do with her taken at comic con. They didn't see the team as often any more. AC had found himself a mermaid and was living in Florida. Victor was still working in IT but had also found a purpose outside the team. Bart had surprised him and finished a forensics degree and was working with the SCPD.

Really he couldn't be happier for them.

Then there were several mom, dad and daughter candid's, photos of her with Mary and John, Lana, Lois, Martha and the farm animals. Something she was going to enjoy again when they headed out to the Kent farm later in the week for an intimate dinner with the good senator and her son. A picture of Grace and her uncle Clark wouldn't be far off now that he had officially finished his training.

He looked down at his little cherub. It was mostly because of her that they were in Metropolis this week. Grant Gabriel had been filling in for Tess at the National Children's Charity Auction several months ago with his family and they had bumped into one another. Grant's son had played with Grace before she had gotten upset and Grant had commented that the Apple wasn't likely to fall from the tree – and it had _irked_ him, that the implication was that his perfect little girl was going to grow up to loathe that boy because he was a Luthor.

Which is why tomorrow he had someone to see.

-xxXxx-

**_Metropolis, 23rd October 2013 _**

Oliver's feet stopped at the grave, hands in pockets, his eyes behind the sunglasses surveying the area for anyone that could potentially interrupt him because he wanted this exchange to be private and not splashed across the tabloids.

He crouched down next to the headstone of the man who had caused so much hurt in his life and removed his sunglasses.

"It's no secret that I've hated you, I especially hated the way that you manipulated me and my family." He stopped for a moment before continuing.

"I don't know that you really intended the outcome of our last visit to be anything less than my utter self-destruction, despite your words of encouragement to the contrary."

He paused, standing up and scuffing the gravestone with his foot. "Part of me would just love to just walk all over your grave after all the pain your actions caused me over the years. Not to mention the pains in the ass your children still are because they can't get over their daddy issues… so if it _was_ your intention for me to self-destruct, I get the last laugh, because I didn't and I'm still here."

The platinum band on his ring finger glinted in the sunlight and he immediately thought of the two blondes waiting for him at home. Both of which were making a mess of the kitchen right now in an attempt to make him a birthday cake.

"Not that I forgive you for taking my parents from me in the first place. …. But if any part of you meant what you said that day about giving back what you had taken, I'd concede the last laugh to you because you were right, and I do have people who are home for me. I have a wife who I love and a daughter who loves me unconditionally and I wanted you know that."

Sure that he had said all that he needed to; he gave a brief nod towards the headstone. "So long Lionel." He turned around and headed back towards his car putting his sunglasses back on, his mind slipping back to the chain of events that started over five years ago and feeling a little lighter for having come.

-xxXxx-

The sliding door to the balcony opened. "Hey," Chloe said softly putting her arms around his waist and her face to his shoulder. "You've been quiet this morning."

He squeezed her hand. "This birthday is making me a little reflective."

"Oh," she said as she wiggled her way into the front. "And what were you reflecting on today Mr Queen."

"Lionel, us, five years ago, Grace." She didn't let him go or flinch and not for the last time he counted how grateful he was that she hadn't run screaming for the hills. That they had been able to stand by each other and deepen the bonds between them, even though their marriage had started as a lie.

"Careful Ollie, I am starting to get a whiff of old age and wisdom," she teased, but he wasn't in the mood to be teased. He looked at her with absolute honesty.

"I love you Chloe."

"I love you too Ollie, with everything I am."

**~ The End~**

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>Smishes to everyone who made it this far - **Thank you**. The amount of support has been truly motivating. Two special thanks shout outs. Hellzz on Earth for her help from when I asked if I could bounce some ideas around from December 2011 till now. And Mark SV whose questions needed answers and spurred the story on.

This was a incredibly ambitious project for me and finishing it has been a huge undertaking (especially towards the end when I just wanted to start it all over again). For those not quiet ready to say goodbye, I have included a deleted scene below that was fun, but didn't fit in the chapter I wrote it for.

Moving on I have two short stories called _Glitch_ and _Rush Hour (_art work on my LJ) featuring our adorable blondes in the works. There are also some other characters/universes that I have been itching to write for as well, so hope to come across some of you again (either as a author or reader) in the future. Until then Live and Laugh.

**Deleted Scene**

_**Star City, 30th October 2012**_

_"_Can you take a look at the one on your right, the yellow one."Oliver obeyed the voice in his ear and held out the garment for her inspection. When he had suggested doing some shopping for baby things because they hadn't had time to get around to it yet, he hadn't expected it to be as a personal shopper while Chloe looked at things through the camera in his glasses. He had been thinking more online. Not that he minded, it was kind of a novel way to be included.

"What do you think?"

"It's kind of cute, but they're all cute. I should just buy the store."

She laughed. "There are other stores Ollie. Not to mention whatever Lois, Lana, Martha and my mom have been buying."

He suddenly had a vision of a swath of pink and lace especially where Lana was concerned and it bothered him.

"Anything else you wanted to look at?" he asked, rechecking the amount of pink.

"No I think that's enough for today. You?"

"I'll see you tonight with our shopping haul." He hastily put back all the pink things and grabbed a couple more things in green.


End file.
